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WONDERFUL CAREER 



MOODY AND SANKEY, 



IN GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA. 



EMBRACING, ALSO, MR. MOODY'S SERMONS, AS PREACHED IN THIS 
COUNTRY AND ABROAD, MR. SANKEY'S SONGS, AND EVERY- 
THING OF INTEREST CONNECTED WITH THE WORK. 



K^ 



By Rev. K. ^. c GOODSPEED, D.D., 

AUTHOR OF U THE LIFE OF JESUS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE," ETC., ETC. EDITOR OF " COBBIN' 
COMMENTARY." 



ILLUSTRATED WITH 

STEEL PLATE PORTRAIT OF Mr. MOODY, 

AND 

TWELVE OTHER ENGRAVINGS FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS. 



S.l/7.9. '" 




NEW YORK: 
HENRY S. GOODSPEED & COMPANY, 

14 BARCLAY STREET. 







COP-VRIGHT, 1876, 

Edgar J. Goodspeed. 



INTRODUCTION. 



CIRCUMSTANCES make men, and men shape circum- 
stances. There is a reciprocal influence between the 
times and the leaders. In the course of events certain con- 
ditions arise, of which persons take advantage to make them- 
selves useful and famous. There was a " fulness of the time " 
when Jesus Christ made His advent upon earth. The world 

was ripe for it. 

" No war nor battle's sound 
Was heard the world around." 

In the Lord's kingdom law prevails, and men know how to labor 
effectively ; but -there are also set times to favor Zion, critical 
epochs, a combination of occurrences which the right men see 
and' take advantage of, always under the guidance of Divine 
Providence and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and thus 
bring to pass notable results which fill the world with wonder, 
and extend the Redeemer's sway over human hearts. In the 
case of Mr. Moody there existed an opportunity in the new city 
of Chicago, and among the neglected foreigners and abandoned 
classes, where he began his mission enterprise ; a necessity for 
such service as he was able to render and procure. He saw and 
seized the opportunity, and achieved a magnificent triumph, and 
a preparation for higher and wider fields. Thus God emphasizes 
again the importance of doing well the duty that lies next to 
one's hand, if a call is expected to loftier heights and more 
conspicuous victories. 

When the Y. M. Christian Association's position began to be 
assured, and Moody linked his fortunes with it, and used all his 
energies in its promotion, there was in the churches and society 
a yearning after some common ground of action — some oppor- 
tunity to express the feeling of essential brotherhood that was 
growing. The iron was hot, and the valiant young enthusiast 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

smote it with telling effect, and welded the hearts of thousands 
into an effective instrument for the Lord's work. 

Again, when he and his singing co-laborer went abroad, there 
was a lack of such music as Mr. Sankey furnished. The people 
were eager for the rich and soul-subduing melodies which he 
poured out upon them in floods. His soul inundated his words 
with pathos and fire, and these elements reached a multitude 
who were weary of the stupid, drawling hymns and tunes so 
common before the evangelists appeared on British soil. The 
formal style of preaching, and the neglect of the masses, made 
a sort of readiness for the zealous, business-like, soul-stirring, 
direct, and simple gospeling which has rolled a wave of salvation 
over England, Ireland, and Scotland. Even the educated shared 
in the gracious movement equally with the common masses. 

In our own land, the brethren found a depressed state of feel- 
ing, the result of commercial disaster and universal "hard times," 
together with a want of provision for the non-church-going multi- 
tude. They at once met with enthusiastic greetings, and felt 
themselves to be supplying a lack of that which is ever most 
vital to man as related to God and eternity. Accordingly, they 
have carried along a series of meetings more vast and effective 
than any ever before held in this country. They have apparently 
created little prejudice, have won the good wishes of all classes, 
and knit the sects into closer unity as brethren. The interest 
has increased the longer they have tarried in a town, and we 
may reasonably hope that still greater blessings are in store for 
our people through their gospel-preaching and singing. 

We cannot but record with gratitude and surprise the amazing 
unanimity of the secular press in favoring and promoting their 
evangelical labors. It is a good omen for our country when these 
organs publish such full and able reports of these monster-meet- 
ings, and spread broadcast the truths or germs of doctrine which 
are proclaimed in sermon and song. These we gather, arrange, 
and" condense, that what otherwise may be ephemeral shall 
become the property of the people for use and reference, not 
only to-day, but when the evangelists are looking upon the 
unveiled glories of the Lord they love. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGB 

Introduction, 3 

List of Illustrations, 7 

PART I. 
THE EARLY LIFE OF DWIGHT LYMAN MOODY. 

CHAPTER. 

I. Old Paths and New Converge, . . . .11 
II. The Boy at Home, 13 

III. Out in the World, 18 

IV. Mission Work, 22 

V. The Field Widens, 28 

VI. Daily Bread, 31 

VII. Personal Growth, - . .34 

THE EARLY LIFE OF IRA DAVID SANKEY. 

VIII. The Boy is Father to the Man, ... 45 

IX. In Training for his Work, .... 49 

X. Two are Better than One, .... 52 

PART II. 

Messrs. MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

XI. Beginning Abroad, 60 

XII. The Word in Edinburgh, . . . .73 

XIII. On to Glasgow, . 100 

XIV. The Evangelists in Ireland, . . . .121 
XV. The Glory of God in Dublin, . . . .132 

XVI. The Harvest in England, 141 

XVII. Times of Blessing in Sheffield, . . .153 

XVIII. " The Toy Shop of the World " Welcomes them, 163 

XIX. Liverpool's Month of Mercy, . . . .172 

XX. Mighty London is Blessed, .... 182 

XXI. Farewell in Liverpool, 214 



CONTENTS. 



PART III. 

THE EVANGELISTS IN AMERICA. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

XXII. Moody and Sankey in Brooklyn, . . . 227 

XXIII. The Work in Philadelphia, . . . .261 

XXIV. The Princeton Revival, 407 

XXV. The Word of Grace at the Hippodrome in 

New York, 407 to6i 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Frontispiece. Steel Plate Portrait of Dwight L. 
Moody , 

The Moody Homestead at Northfield, Mass., . . 12 

"The Tabernacle," Erected by Mr. Moody after the 

Chicago Fire, 32 

Portrait of Ira D. Sankey, 44 

The Free Church Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, . . 72 

The " Farewell" given the Evangelists at Glasgow, 120 

Mr. Moody Preaching in the Haymarket Theatre, 

London, 182 

The People gathering at the Rink in Brooklyn, . 226 

The Opening Services at the Brooklyn Rink, . . 240 

Mr. Moody's First Sunday at the Depot Church, 

Philadelphia, 260 

Exterior view of the "Hippodrome," New York, from 

Madison Avenue, 408 

Mr. Moody Preaching to the People in the " Hip- 
podrome,'' 456 

Mr, Moody Laboring in the Inquiry-Room at the 

"Hippodrome," 504 



PART I. 



MOODY AND SANKEY 



HISTORY OF THEIR EARLY LIFE. 



PART II. 



THE WONDERFUL CAREER 



MOODY AND SANKEY, 



GREA T BRITAIN. 



Part III 



A COMPLETE HISTORY 

OF THE 

CAREER AND WORK 

OF 

MOODY AND SANKEY, 

IN AMERICA. 



THE WONDERFUL CAREER 



MOODY AND SANKEY 



GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA. 



THE EAELY LIFE OF D. L. MOODY. 
CHAPTER I. 

OLD PATHS AND NEW CONVERGE. 

The Lord Jesus, when He sent out the seventy to propagate 
the new faith, sent them two by two. There was in all His 
actions a Divine wisdom : and so in this arrangement there was 
some wise purpose which we do not now seek to fathom. We 
read that Paul the Great Apostle to the Gentiles associated a 
brother with him in his missionary journeys. At one time 
Barnabas was his companion, at another Mark attended him. 
We have no reason to believe that one cause for this lay in 
Paul's lack of ability to sing, or in his associates' musical 
talents. And yet we cannot be sure that some division of 
service may not have been secured by this habit of going out in 
pairs to evangelize. Doubtless there were some things which 
one could do better than the other, and a twofold evangelism 
was found advantageous. At all events, we find in our own 
time and under our eyes a repetition of this primitive order 
blessed with glorious success. 

They heralded Paul and his attendant as they entered one of 
the ancient cities, with the extravagant remark " these fellows 



12 MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 

that have turned the world upside down have come hither 
also." And subsequent events justified the alarm and excite- 
ment caused by their coming. Two Americans, now famous the 
world over as evangelists, have created a tremendous interest in 
behalf of religion, and the promise of their continued power is 
as fair as anything human can be. It is natural to ask who 
these men are, and how they came into this mighty work. Is 
their gift a genius, a rare marvellous talent, or are they common 
men with no special endowments ? How then were they trained 
and prepared for the exercise of such influence for good ? We 
want to know somewhat of their early life, that we may learn 
the secret of their power. Did they grow into their present 
agency from humble beginnings, and by the use of common op- 
portunities, or is there a miracle about their history and career? 
What qualities have they in their constitution that have made 
them capable of extraordinary achievements and what advan- 
tages have they possessed superior to those of other men ? 
From the facts that have crept out here and there from the 
obscurity that envelopes their lives, we gather enough to show 
us all we need to know for the answer of our inquiries and the 
settlement of every problem presented by their wonderful 
career of evangelism. 



MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 1 3 



CHAPTER II. 

THE BOY AT HOME. 

Dwight Lyman Moody was bom in Northfield, Massachu- 
setts, Feb. 5th, 1837. These rugged hills and plains have borne 
many noble men and nourished in them a vigorous life, whose 
forces have been given to the world in vast streams of useful- 
ness. And this lad, born in a lowly spot, of humble parentage, 
will rank as a harvester of souls, among the names that men 
will not let die, and God will wreathe with everlasting honor. 
It was apparently a misfortune that the father should die, and 
leave the widow to struggle against poverty with her brood of 
youngsters. But He who sitteth on the circle of the heavens 
ordered a great blessing to spring out of apparent ruin. It was 
needful for every member of the family to bear the yoke, and 
to feel the necessity of personal self-denial and exertion. They 
were living on a farm which was mortgaged, and had to toil for 
bread in a land where nature yields scanty nourishment even 
to hard workers. But on her rugged breast she nurtures 
strength and self-reliance. The boy Dwight there learned how 
to labor with his body, obtained physical vigor, and stored up 
nervous energy, which have served him well in the gigantic 
labors he has since performed, and is now cheerfully sustaining 
in his evangelistic enterprises. 

He was not deprived of opportunities for schooling, but his 
intense activity of body led him to seek out-of-door employments 
and sports rather than the privileges and pleasures of study in 
the school-room. This was not an unmixed evil, because it 
assured his corporal vigor which makes his present work possi- 
ble. But it caused him bitter mortification and many poignant 
regrets, when he came upon the stage of life, and discovered 
his great deficiencies. These he has faithfully sought to remove 



14 MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 

by constant reading, observation, and self-improvement There 
is also an indirect advantage in this want of culture which is 
not to be overlooked. Many an educated man is timid by 
reason of his knowledge, while ignorance is bold. " They that 
know nothing fear nothing." " Fools rush in where angels fear 
to tread." A mistake in grammar or rhetoric, in chronology or 
exegesis would crush a sensitive scholar ; while the ignorant 
man may go on over a thousand of" the king's English " slain, 
and be confident and unconscious, and hence strong and vic- 
torious. Too much knowledge or education may be as fatal as 
too little. Self-made men often owe their success to their igno- 
rance, and reach their goal because they pay no attention to 
the old beaten paths, but mark out a course for themselves 
more direct and practical than that which others pursue because 
it is respectable and ancient. To Mr. Moody blunders are 
nothing, provided he gains the end of his ministry and wins 
souls. Efficiency is the only thing he cares about. Let others 
make fine finished sentences to tickle men's ears and satisfy the 
learned, he hurls plain truths in strong simple forms at men to 
hit them, casts his net to catch their souls, and stops not to 
amuse them, but with tears seeks to save the lost. His want of 
learning and culture has given him boldness and effectiveness, 
while his strong sense and native refinement save him from vul- 
garity or fatal mistakes. 

It sometimes happens that rich men's sons are put at a dis- 
advantage in the race of life by the clogs and fetters of riches. 
They are too heavily weighted to run well. One of these young 
men who feels this, wrote his mother earnestly as follows: 
il How about those ' friends ' I spoke of? they probably think 
themselves very kind but the ones you name are the very 
' friends ' who. would have seen me stagnate, or petrify, without 
doing a thing to prevent it. I was A. B. there with a fortune 
left me and therefore bound to go to the devil ; and if I had not 
determined to go west instead they would only have sighed over 
my sad fate and said, ' I told you so.' The most unfortunate 
man in the world is one whom everybody considers 'provided 
for.' A poor boy is encouraged, praised, helped. One who 



MOODYS EARLY LIFE. 15 

has money or a prospect of any must shift for himself, and al- 
though he needs assistance and encouragement as much as any- 
one, although he is exposed to temptations which the poorer 
fellow knows nothing about, although he is exposed above all to 
the temptation of idleness, he has nothing but his own manliness 
to pull him through. Lucky for him, if he has some manliness 
left. But this is not a sermon, though I should like to preach 
one from this text." 

Such a sigh from the depths of a boy's heart is a revelation 
of things unseen, which is full of instruction. It ought to stop 
the growling and murmuring of those who are born in poverty 
or amidst lowly conditions, and teach them that those whom 
they envy are by no means as happy and fortunate in their own 
eyes as they seem to be. The great principle of compensation 
appears in all the relations and situations of human life, bal- 
ancing circumstances that are not under our control and giving 
us all equal chances in the conflict. 

Now young Moody on the bleak hills of Northfield, in the 
farm-house of a widowed mother, and destitute of learning, 
seems not to have been, humanly speaking, well situated to 
carve out a useful and wide-reaching destiny. But the very 
meagreness of opportunities there, and the necessities of strug- 
gle urged him out of the home-nest, and made him stretch his 
wings for a higher flight. He has no reason to quarrel with the 
ways of Providence. God was girding him when he knew it 
not. An elder son left home, and was not heard of for. many 
years. Perhaps this made the lad at home restless and un- 
easy. 

Did it not nourish the pathetic element, so strong in his na- 
ture, to see his mother suffering under the double bereavement, 
and mourning over her dead husband and her absent boy? 
How tenderly he tells the sad story of his brother's de- 
parture, long silence, and final return in manhood. He 
stands at his mother's door unkno.wn, and is invited to come in 
by her, while he says, " No, not till my mother forgives me." 
When she hears these words, she melts and with tears and ca- 
resses forgives and welcomes the prodigal. And thus, he tells 



1 6 Moody's early life. 

the sinner, does God forgive and receive those who seek Him. 
The domestic affections are strong and susceptible in him, and 
they afford him powerful sources of appeal. He was a kind 
and loving son, and amidst all his wild boisterous plays, and 
his passionate outbreaks, his fondness for his mother acted as a 
conservative influence. She was a Unitarian in doctrine, and 
reared her children to fear the Lord. Dwight was not specially 
religious in his youth. He had a will that did not easily yield, 
and a nature that did not express dependence. In a hard 
place at one time, he used every means in his power to extricate 
himself, and when no one would hear, he thought of asking God, 
and no sooner had he made one prayer, something like Peter's 
"Lord save or I perish," than he felt new energy throbbing in 
his whole frame and he lifted the burden and was free. How 
often since has he been pressed almost to death, and obtained 
help from God by prayer ! 

Take a single example. In the great convention at the 
Hippodrome in New York, where several thousand ministers 
were present, "the topic," says a leading editor, "was how to 
reach the non-churchgoers. Heart-stirring words had been 
spoken by several ministers and laymen, when Mr. Moody felt 
constrained, against all his habits, to communicate a personal 
experience he had passed through about four years before. He 
had been preaching day after day, and the fruits were small and 
few. In his distress he walked the streets of a great city by 
night, and the cry of his soul was for the anointing of the 
Spirit. God heard his cry, and gave him then and there what 
he had begged for. Words could not express its influence upon 
him. He had been trying to pump water out of a well that 
seemed dry. He had pumped with all his might, and little 
water came. Now it seemed that God had made his soul like 
an artesian well, that could never fail of water: He preached 
again. The power of the Spirit was upon him and the people. 
Many were converted. He then, with a tenderness begotten 
of God, urged upon every Christian the present duty of being 
himself as a never-failing artesian well — always filled with the 
Spirit. Those who earnestly desired to be thus filled were re- 



Moody's early life. 17 

quested to arise. The whole vast congregation seemed to do 
so. Now stand, said Mr. Moody, while we pray. He prayed, 
but his feelings were too profound for anything but broken ut- 
terances. Every heart was deeply moved, and when the prayer 
ended, the Hippodrome was literally a place of tears. It was 
an hour never to be forgotten." 

His prayers are always the pleadings of a man in earnest, 
and while he prays for himself and others as if he were engaged 
in no make-believe performance, he also loves to enlist others 
in prayer for him and his work. It was the grand hero of 
faith and works, the chief champion of Christianity, Paul the 
great apostle, who said, " Brethren, pray for us." And so Mr. 
Moody feels strong only when he knows that the prayers of 
godly people are sustaining his labors. He has the boldness 
of simplicity, sincerity, and conscious need. When he called 
on the Roman Catholic bishop of Chicago to request him to 
prevent the children from breaking the windows of his mission 
school, he asked the aged prelate to pray for him. And when 
he had done so, Mr. Moody, before they rose, prayed for the 
bishop. There was friendship between them and no more 
damage was done nor hindrance to his work from that quarter. 



i8 Moody's early life. 



CHAPTER III. 



OUT IN THE WORLD. 



The vitality that wrought in the boy's being and made him 
sturdy, eager, and a leader in his little circle, pushed him out 
into the great world where he might win fortune like other men. 
He had uncles in Boston who were merchants, and who could 
help him make a start if they would. Hither unheralded he 
went with a settled purpose to become connected with some 
house where he might learn business and acquire the means of 
success. Too proud to ask his relatives to aid him at first, he 
soon however availed himself of their kind offices, and entered 
into his uncle's employ. This man was an orthodox christian, 
a member of the Mt. Vernon church, of the Congregationalist 
order, and his pastor was Rev. E. N. Kirk, D. D., a man after 
God's own heart. To this place of worship young Moody was, 
as it were, indentured, by his employer, and its services he was 
obligated to attend — a circumstance of great importance and 
value to the country boy. 

It was remarked, at a meeting in New York held in honor 
of one of its leading merchants, by the gentleman thus compli- 
mented, that when he came to the city he at once was offered a 
seat in church by a wealthy man, which he accepted. He also 
made it a rule from the beginning not to have any associate 
who would do him any harm, or of whom he would be likely to 
be ashamed. The two points thus established were cardinal — 
they determined his course and gave him standing and influence 
as a young man. The church was a source of cultivation, and 
its associations were ennobling, while he allowed no evil com- 
panion to undo the good work there wrought in him or 
drag him down to infamy. At the age of seventeen this new 
force began to operate upon the intellect and conscience, and 






Moody's early life. 19 

to form the character of young Moody. It was a hard trial for 
him to mingle with persons more refined and better educated 
than himself, but he bravely persisted in his attendance at 
church and the Bible Class. His teacher, Mr. Kimball, labored 
for him assiduously and patiently, and lodged the truth so ef- 
fectually in his heart that he became a believer ; but such was 
his dulness and ignorance of truth that the church felt con- 
strained to keep him as a learner outside the fold for many 
months, till he could give an intelligent account of his new life 
of faith. There was no precocity of any sort, nothing startling 
or promising in his early course. He had a courage that car- 
ried him forward in spite of his defects, and an aspiration that 
led him to rise above circumstances and strive after excellence. 
He seldom spoke in the meetings, and his zeal lay as a smoul- 
dering fire within him. The revival-spirit of this church and 
its earnest pastor was infused into his veins ; and he was receiv- 
ing an education that influenced his whole career. No work 
was laid out for him into which he could throw his rugged en- 
ergies, and he was not contented. Meanwhile he had con- 
tinued his business life with characteristic spirit, and he sighed 
for a broader field and grander opportunities. Chicago was the 
star in the West which led thousands of aspiring and ambitious 
youth to forsake the old fields overcrowded and less promising, 
for the broad and boundless land of the setting sun. Eager for 
work, and ready for anything that offered honorable success, the 
Yankee boy, now nearly twenty years old, in September, 1856, 
lands in the metropolis of the Northwest. That city, like all 
large towns, has absorbed vas f numbers of young men, some of 
whom have found a short road to ruin, and others have gallantly 
earned victory and its rewards. The majority thus cast into 
the whirlpool aft* drawn into its fatal depths beyond the reach 
of light and hope. Our hero had two safeguards, a recommen- 
dation to an honorable house where he was employed for sev- 
eral years, and a church letter which at once opened to him an 
acquaintance with christian people and opportunities for doing 
good. In his secular business he proved himself " a workman 
that needeth not to be ashamed," and in religious work he con- 



20 Moody's early life. 

secrated his energies, doing with his might whatsoever his hand 
found to do. When he could not be and do what he desired in 
one church, he allied his fortunes with another ; and reaching 
forth with the cry of Xavier, " Yet more, oh my God ! yet more," 
he plunged into the dark places, heathenish regions such as all 
cities contain, and there literally fought his way through with 
all-conquering persistence, till he saw them renovated by the 
Gospel of the grace of God. 

There were others doing the same kind of work, and gradu- 
ally these congenial spirits clustered under Moody in a mission 
in the North Market Hall, which proved a vast power for good. 
To this mighty undertaking he pushed, through countless ob- 
stacles, with no church to back him. The ignorant rude boy 
had developed into manhood and found use for every idea he 
had ever got, and every pound of physical strength he had ac- 
cumulated j because the audiences be addressed, whether small 
or large, were in great need of enlightenment, and some of them 
resisted instruction even unto blood. In other words he had 
literally to subdue with blows the precious pupils who came un- 
der his tuition, and he seemed to enjoy it. He was pleased 
with the results of his efforts ; for these conquered boys often 
proved his true friends and helpers, and were sometimes led 
thus to submit to a higher will and become servants of God. 
What he underwent can never be fitly told except by him, and 
he only now and then ventures on the narration of his exploits. 
The following incident is characteristic. Mr. Moody was illus- 
trating the way to get people to work for the souls of others 
when he said : The most precious hours I ever spent were em- 
ployed going from house to house preaching Christ. There is 
plenty of work, the fields are already white for the harvest. I re- 
member one time in Chicago I was asked to ta^e an interest in 
the children of a saloon-keeper who was a notorious infidel. I 
took the man's address. Iwent down and found the old fellow 
behind the bar. I told him my errand, but I had to get out a 
good deal quicker than I got in. I thought I would try him the 
second time, when he would be a little less under the influence 
of drink, but he made me get out again. I went back then the 



MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 21 

third time. " Well," said he, " look here, young man, you were 
talking about the Bible : I will read the New Testament if you 
will read Paine's "Age of Reason." " Agreed," said I, but he 
had the best of the bargain. (Laughter.) I had a hard job to 
read it through. I went down to the saloon to find out how he 
was getting on. All the time he would talk about Paine's 
" Age of Reason." One Saturday I tried to get him to go to 
church Sunday. " Now," he says, " if you want church, you 
must have it in my saloon. This is as good a church as any in 
Chicago. You can have preaching here if you want to." 
" Well," says I, " to-morrow morning at n o'clock I'll be here." 
"Look here, young man, I want to do part of it myself." I 
said, "Now let us distinctly understand how much you and I 
will have. Now suppose you and your friends take the first 
forty-five minutes and I take the last fifteen." He agreed to 
this. That Sunday 'morning I took a little boy with me that 
God had taught how to pray. That is some years ago and I 
remember how weak I felt as I went down to that infidel 
saloon. I found when I got around he had gone to a neighbor- 
ing saloon where he engaged two rooms with folding doors, and 
had them filled with infidels and deists and all shades of belief. 
They first began to ask me questions, but I said : " Now you 
go on for your forty-five minutes and I shall listen." So they 
got to wrangling among themselves. (Laughter.) Some 
thought there was a Jesus and some not. When the time was 
up, I said : " Now look here, my friends, your time is up ; we 
always open our meetings with prayer." After I had prayed, 
the little boy cried to God to have mercy on these men. They 
got up one by one, one going out by this door and one by an- 
other. They were all gone very soon. The old infidel put his 
hand on my shoulder, and said I might have his children. He 
has since been one of the best friends I had in Chicago. So 
you see it must be personal work with us all. 






22 Moody's early life. 



CHAPTER IV. 



MISSION WORK. 



His work for Christ, special religious duty and service, after 
he came to Chicago, was begun almost simultaneously with his 
secular business. He had to gain a foothold for personal sup- 
port, and then he struck out for work for the Master. Says 
one of his biographers : 

" On Sunday he sought out a Mission Sunday-school, and 
offered his services as a teacher. He was informed that the 
school had a full supply of teachers, but if he would gather a 
class, he might occupy a seat in the school-room. The next 
Sabbath he appeared with eighteen boys, and a place was as- 
signed him for his new and rough recruits. This was the 
beginning of his mission to 'the masses.' On that day he 
unfolded his theory of how ' to reach the masses' — ' Go for 
them.' 

" Soon after, he commenced the ' North Market Hall Mis- 
sion-school.' The old market hall was used on Saturday nights 
for dancing ; and after the motley crowd had dispersed, Mr. 
Moody and his associates spent the late hours of Saturday 
night and the early hours of Sunday morning in removing the 
sawdust and filth, cleansing the floor, and putting the room in 
order for their Christian work. The repetition of this kind of 
labor week after week was obviously not very agreeable ; but 
it was cheerfully rendered by a young man who lived for one 
object — the salvation of souls. In this hall the school was 
held for six years, and increased to over one thousand mem- 
bers. Many were brought to Jesus ; and the work was carried 
forward amidst marked encouragements and discouragements. 

" Finding it extremely difficult to hold piayer-meetings or 
Sabbath-evening services in this hall, Mr. Moody rented a 



MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 23 

saloon that would accommodate about two hundred persons. 
He boarded up the side windows, and furnished it with un- 
painted pine-board seats. It was a dismal, un ventilated place, 
and during service it was necessary to have policemen to guard 
the door and building. Here he collected the poor and the 
vicious ; and sought, by melting appeals and fervent prayers, 
to lead hardened sinners to abandon their evil courses, and 
accept the offers of salvation." 

Says another: "The man who maybe called, par excellence, 
the Lightning Christian of the Lightning City is Mr. Moody, 
the President of the Young Men's Christian Association, and a 
man whose name is a household word in connection with mis- 
sionary work. I went to one of his mission schools, and have 
rarely beheld such a scene of high-pressure evangelization. It 
made me think irresistibly of those breathing steamboats on 
the Mississippi, that must either go fast or burst. Mr. Moody 
himself moved energetically about the school most of the time, 
seeing that every body was at work, throwing in a word where 
he thought it necessary, and inspiring every one with his own 
enthusiasm. 

" As soon as the classes had been going on for a specific 
number of minutes, he mounted a platform, rang a bell, and 
addressed the children. He is a keen, dark-eyed man, with a 
somewhat shrill voice, but with thorough earnestness of manner 
and delivery. His remarks were few, but pointed and full of 
interrogation, keeping the children on their mettle. It is one 
of his first principles, never, in any of the religious exercises, to 
allow the interest or attention of the audience to flag for an 
instant. At a great religious convention held at Chicago to 
which five hundred delegates came from all parts of the United 
States, he got a resolution passed that no one should be al- 
lowed more than three minutes for his speech. The result was 
that an immense number got an opportunity for speaking, and 
an admirable check was put on the American tendency to co- 
pious flowery oratory. Every man had to dash in medias res, 
at once, say what he had to say without loss of words, and 
leave out all minor points to get time for the points of most im- 



24 

portance. One or two of Moody's remarks were, ' Services are 
not made interesting enough, so as to get unconverted people 
to, come. They are not expected to come, and people would 
be mortified if they did come. Don't get into a rut. I abomi- 
nate ruts. There are few things that I dread more.' 

" Though earnest in his piety, and full of religious conversa- 
tion, Moody has no patience with mere cant, and wants every 
body to prove his sincerity by his acts. At a meeting in behalf 
of a struggling charity, a wealthy layman, loud in his religious 
professions, offered up a prayer that the Lord would move the 
hearts of the people to contribute the sum required. Mr. 
Moody rose, and said that all the charity wanted was only two 
thousand dollars, and that he considered it absurd for a man 
with half a million to get up and ask the Lord to do any thing 
in the matter, when he could himself, with a mere stroke of his 
pen, do all that was needed, and ten times more, and never 
feel the difference. 

" The first thing Mr. Moody does with those whom he suc- 
ceeds in bringing under Christian influences is, to turn them to 
account in pushing on the good work. He considers no place 
too bad, no class too hardened, to be despaired of. He some- 
times takes a choir of young people, well trained in singing, to 
the low drinking saloons, to help him in wooing the drunkards 
and gamblers away to the meetings. On one such occasion, 
which was described to me, he entered one of these dens with 
his choir, and said, 'Would you like to have a song, gentle- 
men ? ' No objection was offered, and the children sung a pa- 
triotic song in fine style, eliciting great applause. Mr. Moody 
then had a hymn sung by them, and meanwhile went round 
giving tracts to those present. When the hymn was over he 
said, ' We shall now have a word of prayer.' 'No, no,' cried 
several in alarm, ' no prayer here.' ' Oh yes, we'll have a few 
words of prayer. Quiet for a minute, gentlemen,' he said, and 
proceeded to offer up a few earnest petitions. Some of the 
men were touched ; and when he invited them to go with nim 
to his meeting and hear more about salvation, half of them rose 
and went. It is believed that if Pandemonium were accessible, 



MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 2$ 

Mr. Moody would have a mission started there within a week." 
Mr. Reynolds of Peoria said recently, as if in illustration of this 
last remark : 

" The first meeting I ever saw him at was in a little old 
shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon-keeper. Mr. 
Moody had got the place to hold the meeting in at night. I 
went there a little late ; and the first thing I saw was a man 
standing up, with a few tallow candles around him. holding a 
negro boy, and trying to read to him the story of the Prodigal 
Son ; and a great many of the w r ords he could not make out, 
and had to skip. I thought, If the Lord can ever use such an 
instrument as that for his honor and glory, it will astonish me. 
After that meeting was over Mr. Moody said to me, ' Reynolds, 
I have got only one talent : I have no education, but I love the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and I want to do something for Him : and 
I want you to pray for me.' I have never ceased from that day 
to this, morning and night, to pray for that devoted Christian 
soldier. I have watched him since then, have had counsel with 
him, and know him thoroughly ; and, for consistent walk and 
conversation, I have never met a man to equal him. It as- 
tounds me when I look back and see what Mr. Moody was 
thirteen years ago, and then what he is under God to-day — 
shaking Scotland to its very centre, and reaching now over to 
Ireland. 

"The last time I heard from him, his injunction was, l Pray 
for me every day ; pray now that God will keep me humble.' " 

" I shall always remember Mr. Moody," says one ; " for he 
was the means of leading me to Christ. I was in a railway 
train one day, when a stout, cheery-looking strange: came in 
and sat down in the seat beside me. We were passing through 
a beautiful country, to which he called my attention saying, — 

" ' Did you ever think what a good Heavenly Father we have, 
to give us such a pleasant world to live in ? ' 

" I made some indifferent answer ; upon which he earnestly 
inquired, — 

" ' Are you a Christian ? ' 

" I answered, ' No.' 



26 Moody's early life. 

" ' Then,' said he, c you ought to be one at once. I am to 
get off at the next station, but if you will kneel down, right 
here, I will pray to the Lord to make you a Christian.' 

" Scarcely knowing what I did, I knelt down beside him 
there, in the car rilled with passengers, and he prayed for me 
with all his heart. Just then the train drew up at the station, 
and he had only time to get off before it started again. 

" Suddenly coming to myself out of what seemed more like 
a dream than a reality, I rushed out on the car platform, and 
shouted after him, ' Tell me who you are ! ' 

" He replied, ' My name is Moody.' 

" I never could shake off the conviction which then took 
hold upon me, until the strange man was answered, and I had 
become a Christian man." 

Thus he wrought with men wherever he could find open ears 
to hear the message of salvation, whether in the saloon, the 
railway car, the mission building or the sanctuary. 

His soul being intent on saving men, he knew that by join- 
ing others in his Christian enterprises he would thus vastly 
multiply his usefulness. He accordingly made himself a re- 
cruiting agent for his school, and brought the neglected multi- 
tudes of the North side into classes taught by such helpers as 
he could yoke up with himself. The population of his district 
was largely made up of Germans and other foreigners, who are 
accustomed to a Sabbath not of the Puritanic but rather the 
Satanic sort. 

With wonted shrewdness, he took advantage of the love of. 
music, and got a singer to entertain those who gathered. His 
great object was never for a moment forgotten, and soon there 
were' converts, and prayer meetings, and all the materials for a 
church, which was duly formed and folded and shepherded by 
" Deacon Moody " as he is familiarly called by the young peo- 
ple, who are very fond of him. This was the natural order of 
extraordinary devotion and ability on the part of him who was 
the soul of the enterprise. For years he let no day pass with- 
out speaking to some one personally about the welfare of his 
soul. He also addressed large numbers of people, old and 



MOODY'S EARLY LIFE. 27 

young, and always pressed them with Bible truth. He could 
not but see fruit from such whole-hearted consecration and 
scriptural methods. Fruit he would have. The same eager- 
ness throbbed in his soul, which John Knox felt, when he said: 
" Give me Scotland or I die." He had a mission, and it was 
no dreamer's idle wish, but God's call to the salvation of lost 
men. So he toiled on with his Bible, with inquirers, with the 
hardened, desperate and wretched, whom he followed to their 
dens, garrets, cellars, homes, places of amusement and labor, 
ever holding forth the word of life as a light in a dark place. 



28 Moody's early life. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE FIELD WIDENS. 



Mr. Moody early became a member of the Young Men's 
Christian Association of Chicago, and punctually attended the 
daily noon meetings. Nor did he feel it to be his duty to come 
alone or keep silent. He worked valiantly to engage others in 
the labors of the association, to draw in people to the meetings, 
and to give attractiveness to the exercises. His zeal flamed 
up and was fanned into a consuming fire, which burned the 
cords that bound him to business and made him a holocaust on 
God's altar. He gave himself wholly to work for the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and was greatly honored by Him. For he was 
chosen president of the association after holding other offices, 
and obtained the means necessary to build a hall, which was 
named from the chief contributor to the building fund " Farwell 
Hall." This became the centre of attraction for public gather- 
ings, but was burned, not in the great fire that desolated the 
city in October 187 1, but in the winter of 1868. A second 
edifice was projected and completed under the practical leader- 
ship of Moody, which stood longer than the first, and was a 
glorious arena for the servants of Christ. These were triumphs 
of sagacity and perseverance which might well have exacted 
the whole time and care of the young apostle. But he was car- 
rying on during these years his own vast mission and church 
work, besides giving much time to conventions and evangeliz- 
ing tours, and to the service of the Christian Commission. 
Such was the largeness of his heart, and his evident sincerity, 
that he could share with any true Christian in the work of the 
Lord, and not provoke jealousy or create a breach of confidence. 
Men of all sects and churches honored and trusted him, and 
were ready to do his bidding. He had one controlling purpose 



Moody's early life. 29 

in common with all believers who were aggressive, and he was 
so thoroughly independent that nobody claimed him. He 
labored for the benefit of the church universal, and men gave 
him credit for unselfishness, and a single eye. 

In all these dark days of war, he threw himself into the 
camps near home, and there preached the Gospel and won 
souls. He was president of the Chicago branch of the Chris- 
tian Commission of which George H. Stuart, of Philadelphia, 
was president in chief, and whose name is fragrant in all lands. 
He went out half a score of times to the front, with supplies 
and with the healing mercies of the blessed Gospel. 

When the confederate prisoners were in Camp Douglas, near 
Chicago, Mr. Moody visited them with all the tender love of a 
brother, and under his preaching large numbers were converted 
and confirmed in the faith, and they hailed his coming to cheer 
and comfort, to instruct and evangelize them, with unspeakable 
delight. Afterward when he had opportunities to minister to 
them as they lay on the gory and stricken fields, where their 
bodies were commingled with the federal soldiers, he showed 
himself the friend of all alike as men having souls equally dear 
to Jesus, and suffering pains that the friend of humanity should 
strive to assuage. 

In his sermons he occasionally draws on his army experi- 
ence for illustrations. On one occasion, describing the office 
of Jesus as a Deliverer of captives, he said : 

It was my privilege to go into Richmond with General 
Grant's army. There I saw the captives who were in Libby 
prison. Many a time I wept for hours to hear what they en- 
dured. Sometimes they got letters or messages that loved ones 
were dying, and of course they could not ,go home to see them 
in their dying hour. There they were in the prison one beauti- 
ful day in spring; the news had been kept from them ; they 
hadn't heard what was going on around Richmond. One says 
while they were listening, " I hear a band of music ; they are 
playing the old battle tune of the Republic ; I think I hear the 
' Star Spangled Banner.' I say, boys, I believe Richmond is 
taken." By-and-by they all listen and say, " It is so." Soon 



3© Moody's early life. 

the Northern army unlocked the gates and these thousand men 
are set free. Was not that good news ? they were free men 
and could now go to their wives and their children and their 
homes. Oh, my friends, you could not find happier men than 
these were. They had liberty ; then the captives were set free. 
That is what Christ has come to do. 

Such was not his usual experience on the trips he made 
among the soldiers. There were darker days, and sadder 
hours, when his heart was torn, and his eyes were weary, and 
his hands heavy, and his whole frame worn out with the vast 
and terrible labors incident to the hospital, the battle-field, and 
the camp. All this time he was not in the pay of any person, 
nor supported by any society. He was fed by ravens. Many 
hardships he endured in his lonely situation, but God gave him 
friends who apprehended his needs, and supplied them as the 
Spirit moved. Railroad men furnished passes for free travel, 
merchants quietly paid his board, friends saw that his ward- 
robe was kept intact, although he never solicited a dollar for 
himself. It was Miiller's Life of Trust over again. 



Moody's early life. 31 



CHAPTER VI. 



DAILY BREAD. 



When Mr. Moody threw up his situation as a salesman, he 
had a little means which his economical habits had enabled 
him to accumulate. He was exceedingly temperate and puri- 
tanical in his ideas of a mode of life suited to a Christian. 
The vain and frivolous pleasures, as well as the more costly 
and extravagant amusements, which absorb the energies and 
funds of multitudes of young men, he conscientiously avoided. 
He knew not the name of a card, drank no spirits or beer, 
visited no theatres or operas, nor smoked away his money and 
health. He thus kept health, piety, and his earnings, except 
what was given to the Lord's work. Soon after he left all 
secular pursuits, he became really needy, and almost suffered. 
Certain events in God's providence confirmed his waning con- 
fidence, and help came through various friends ; and he has 
always been made comfortable, though he has had no salary in 
any department of his service. He has maintained a conscience 
void of offence towards God and man as respects money. He 
has no itching palm. Nobody ever made any accusation stick 
to him respecting the love of money. He is an honest man. 

He has been peculiarly favored by reason of the friendship 
of able men and large-hearted associates. In all his stupen- 
dous labors in the army work he received no pay. It was as 
free as air. His services he lavishly gave to his fellow men in 
camp, and hospital, by flood and field. All his convention 
work has been unpaid, except, by the unsolicited gifts of any 
who felt disposed to private liberality. He uses no artifices to 
get money for himself, although he knows well how to raise 
funds for great public enterprises. After his marriage, he was 
made the occupant of an elegant home near the scenes of his 



32 MOODY'S EARLY LIFE. 

hard efforts to get dominion over ignorance and wickedness. 
It was a surprise to himself and his excellent wife to be led in- 
to this home all furnished and prepared for their use and 
shown a perpetual lease conveyed to them by appreciative 
friends. It was a noble deed kindly done, and the worthy 
couple were only made stronger for their holy mission. 

Mr. Moody's confidence in God led him to seek alliance with 
the amiable lady to whom he was married on the 28th of 
August, 1862. He believed they would be provided for, and 
she shared his faith. Miss Emma C. Revell is of a sterling 
Baptist family of English extraction. She is lovely in person 
and manners and decidedly christian. Her influence over 
Mr. Moody has been of the most helpful kind, and a happier 
family than this father and mother, son and daughter, can no- 
where be found. She is a capital worker in the inquiry meet- 
ing, and hardly inferior to the evangelist himself. It is proba- 
bly owing to her English relationships that he was early in- 
clined to visit the mother country, where he has gained so 
much power and left so great a blessing. They were happy in 
their lowly cottage, but gracefully assumed the proprietorship 
of their beautiful house where they entertained strangers from 
abroad with true western hospitality. 

But as the terrible fire which devastated Chicago burned 
thousands of homes, it also swept away their nest, and drove 
them out into the company of the homeless. This occurred 
October 9th, 187 1. The ruin was complete, scarcely anything 
was saved. 

Mr. Moody's financial condition after the Great Fire w r as 
well shown by an incident that occurred the following Sunday 
night. He had been invited by Mr. Goodspeed, the pastor of 
the Second Baptist church, to preach for him. This invitation 
was conveyed to him by his brother-in-law, W. H. Holden Esq., 
Superintendent of the S. S. of the Second church, and accepted. 
After sermon, the pastor offered him ten dollars, with the re- 
mark, " this is all I have." " Then," said Mr. Moody, " I 
won't take but half of it, though I have not one cent." An 
immense congregation greeted the preacher, and Dr. Robert 



MOODY'S EARLY LIFE. 



33 



Patterson, who was present, remarked that there was more 
Gospel in that sermon than in half a dozen ordinary ones. 
His Bible, which he had snatched from the flames, he left on the 
desk, and the pastor finding it there, examined it with care, and 
observed with wonder how thoroughly and faithfully it had 
been studied, as was shown by the ink marks it bore on almost 
every page. He had been wont to rise before day, and give 
himself with absolute devotion to the prayerful, conscientious 
study of that Divine Manual of instruction for the preacher's 
work. Going forth clad in the panoply of God, he has filled 
the world with his fame as a herald of Christ, who has honored 
him with power over men for salvation such as few of the 
world's heroes and saints have ever had. 

In all his evangelizing abroad he has not sought filthy lucre, 
but repelled every suggestion of money-making. Nor has he 
used the splendid gifts pressed upon him as others have done. 
He has requested the donors to apply them to other uses, lest 
they might become a snare to him. His hands must be clean, 
and his motives seem as pure as they really are. His mighty 
work he will not defile nor belittle by selfishness and greed. 

When about to go to England the last time, he knew not 
where he should get money to pay his passage, but trusted in 
God and made ready. The evening before his departure, a 
princely supporter and fellow-laborer, hearing of his journey, 
placed in his hands the sum of five hundred dollars, saying that 
he would probably need something after he got to England. 
Thus he has been fed and nourished by God's people in mar- 
vellous ways. In this country no collections are ever taken for 
him or his associate, Mr. Sankey, and they discourage public 
presentations. Their object is not to get gain. In this 
respect they follow Paul, the great apostle, as he followed the 
Divine Exemplar. They know they are serving for One who is 
rich. 



34 Moody's early life. 



CHAPTER VII. 



PERSONAL GROWTH. 



The Scriptures frequently employ the charming figure of a 
growing tree to represent the progress of the servant of God. 
" Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope 
the Lord is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, 
and that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not see 
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green ; and shall not be 
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding 
fruit." The grace of God in the heart usually creates mental 
hunger and intellectual thirst It stimulates the whole man to 
newness of life. A youth converted at sixteen, an apprentice 
to a shoemaker, very poor and ignorant, felt the stimulus of re- 
generation in a desire to know more. He was not content with 
the ignorance he had groped in so long, and began a course of 
private study in connection with his work. Among other means 
of self-culture he used a spelling book and dictionary in the 
following manner, — When men came into the shop and uttered 
words he did not know the meaning of, he noted them in his 
memory, and after they had gone out he drew forth his books 
and studied them till he had mastered their orthography and 
significance. He became a leading merchant in a large city 
and the founder of a seminary for the education of ministers. 
And when he died thousands mourned and followed him to 
his burial. 

Mr. Moody, as we have seen, early felt the aspiration for 
knowledge that he might serve Christ better ; but his intense 
activity led him out of the seclusion of schools and libraries, 
and compelled him to depend on his powers of observation as a 
man among men. He was rough, unskilful, and ignorant, and 
naturally gathered the same class about him. But he would 






MOODY S EARLY LIFE.- 35 

mingle with the best workers and draw from them all the 
material he could. Spurgeon once said to a friend who apolo- 
gized for calling and taking up his time ; "Never mind, I shall 
suck a sermon out of you before you get away." This sponge 
process was exceedingly useful to Mr. Moody, and Mr. Spur- 
geon's sermons were a great delight and arsenal to the young 
preacher, who needed ideas and illustrations. He appropriated 
and adopted from every side, and so frequently employed cer- 
tain powerful truths and anecdotes, that he could launch them 
with ease and effectiveness. His friends often suggested courses 
of study, and certain books, which he might profitably read, 
but before he could really get at it, he was hurried away by the 
urgency of work in his own field, by Association business, by 
conventions, by evangelizing trips into the country or to distant 
cities, or by the necessities and horrors of the war. He could 
not do his work in which he was yoked up, and be a student of 
many books. His position and wide-spread service gave him 
the acquaintance of men highly educated, and this he made the 
utmost possible use of to store and cultivate his mind. 

But as his outside cares increased it became needful to study 
the Bible alone. This he could carry with him everywhere and 
read at any time, and it was really the source of his doctrine. 
He however was taught to value the Book by a young English- 
man, Harry Moorhouse, of Manchester, who had been a prize- 
fighter till God conquered his rebellious heart by love. He 
came to Chicago, preached for Moody, of whom he had heard 
in England, and led the American evangelist to adopt his 
methods of Bible study, to carry on Bible readings, and espe- 
cially to dwell greatly on the love of Christ. 

The Great Fire that made two hundred thousand people 
homeless was itself a school for Mr. Moody, because he reared 
a humble shed or tabernacle on the ruins of his mission, and 
there gathered the scattered flock, fed and clothed and com- 
forted them and all who came, and held constant religious 
services in connection with his benevolent work. He and Mr. 
Sankey were there trained and educated for their future suc- 
cess. He had previously discovered the sweet singer's power 



36 Moody's early life. 

and drawn him into their holy partnership which has proved 
under God so great a blessing to the world. It was heaven 
and hell side by side in that tabernacle, among the ruins. The 
cries and sighs of the hungry and wretched were only curtained 
off from the prayers and songs of those godly men, who made 
many souls taste of Jesus' love and clothed them with sacred 
garments. His school and church needed permanent premises, 
and these were provided for in part when Mr. Moody resolved 
on his third visit to England. He had gone the last time to 
learn more of the Bible from men who had made its study the 
one business of their lives. Henry Varley, the butcher preach- 
er, a power in London, and Harry Moorhouse, were chosen 
friends, and they welcomed him to their own country with 
hearty enthusiasm. Mr. Varley relates that : 
. " On visiting at a friend's house with Mr. Moody in England 
some years ago, I said to him, ' It remains for the world to 
see what the Lord can do with a man wholly consecrated to 
Christ. Mr. Moody soon returned to America, but those words 
clung to him with such power that he was induced to return to 
England, and commenced that wonderful series of labors in 
Scotland and England in which he is still engaged. Mr. 
Moody said to me, on returning to England, ' Those were the 
words of the Lord, through your lips, to my soul.' " 

Mr. Moody also passed through some marvellous religious 
experiences that roused him to attempt great things for God, 
so that when asked why he was going to England a third time, 
he answered " to win ten thousand souls for Christ." 

Thus his whole nature was constantly expanding under a 
variety of influences, and the incessant study of One Book en- 
larged his views and fortified his will. He was eager to do the 
Lord's will and to be greatly useful at any cost of personal 
effort and sacrifice. Thus he grew under all circumstances, 
extracted sources of power from all experiences and associa- 
tions, till the boy that could only bring in mission scholars 
came to be in demand in the best circles in America, and was 
able to gain unequaled ascendency among the best people in 
Europe. This personal growth is one of the most interesting 



MOODY'S EARLY LIFE. 37 

and charming of all phenomena, and thus invests life with per- 
petual fascination. 

His whole manhood has risen up into symmetrical propor- 
tions, and grace has permeated the character with sweetness 
and light. His marvellous success hereafter to be related does 
not seem to have puffed him up with vanity and pride. He 
has acquired a habit of trusting God, but he does not fail in 
any case to prepare the way of the Lord just as carefully as if 
all depended on himself and his co-laborer. The grand organ- 
izing faculty he possesses has been developed into a tremen- 
dous force, and by means of this he unites the sects and combines 
the energies of all the live christians he can enlist in every 
church. Men bow humbly and cheerfully to his leadership, 
and throw the whole weight of their influence and personal 
strength into his movement. 

This was not like Jonah in Nineveh, who stood alone for God 
with a terrible message that set the king and all his subjects 
trembling before him. Paul had no such resource at first, 
because he had to build his own foundation and make a foot- 
hold for himself. Those were days of miracle. But now the 
freshness is gone, and all the organized energies of the churches 
can scarcely rouse slumbering sinners or dead professors. 
Hence the wisdom of Mr. Moody. It is not necessary for him 
to bear the exhausting labors of preparing new discourses, since 
he has new hearers all the time, to whom his old utterances are 
fresh as a new-blown rose. There is also something in what 
has been written about his ability to work : 

It has pleased God to give Mr. Moody a grand body ; and 
he has been wise enough to take good care of it. He is a 
standing protest against those ministers who knock their nerves 
into a cocked hat by smoking and chewing, who sit up half the 
night, and all of Saturday night, who are Mondayish and Tues- 
dayish, who have neither stomach nor liver, and who are old at 
fifty. No less he is a protest against those men who, without a 
vice or a fault, yet from mistaken notions of duty, allow the 
body to be run down by want of exercise, want of recreation, 
want of sleep, want of suitable, nourishing, digestible, palatable 



38 Moody's ., ~:^e. 

food. A large heart, a generous soul, a gigantic mind in a frail 
body, is like a powerful engine in a crank, shattered hull. The 
body is not to be despised or ignored. Mr. Moody owes every- 
thing to the grace of God ; but that grace was shown in part in 
giving him a broad chest, sound lungs, a good digestion. 

Nor must we forget that he speaks in a natural tone. He 
has no holy tone. True, he has to speak loud, and strain his 
voice, in order to reach so large a number. But apart from this, 
his voice is natural. He talks about religion as he would talk 
about temperance, or politics, or railroads. And as the result 
he speaks twice a day on five days in a week, and three times 
on the Sabbath, with less fatigue than many of our ministers 
experience from a couple of sermons and a prayer-meeting 
weekly. If the voice is kept all the time on one key, and that 
an unnatural one, it must give way like a violin played cease- 
lessly on one string. 

Nor must we lose sight of an humble, often ignored, quality, 
that uncommon thing, common sense. His common" sense 
amounts to genius. It is shown in a thousand ways ; it appears 
in the uniform brevity of his sermons and prayers ; in the free- 
dom from all bombast or pretence ; in the avoidance of need- 
less offence to those from whom he most differs in doctrine; he 
says nothing that would close the heart of Catholic or Unitarian 
against him. It appears no less in the absence of all peculiar- 
ities of doctrine. He preaches the gospel, clearly, broadly, 
pointedly ; but there is no Moody type of doctrine, except in so 
far as the attentive and loving study of the Bible is a Moodyism. 

We earnestly pray, and we are sure that thousands will unite 
in the prayer, that the good Master will continue richly to en- 
dow Brother Moody with bodily health, with common sense, 
and with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

The following brief mention of some of his points is also 
practical : It is evident that Brother Moody is a shrewd and 
practical man ; that he is an extraordinary worker ; that he is 
a skilful organizer ; that he knows how to control and affect 
multitudes of people ; that he is very much in earnest ; that he 
confines himself to a few of the leading ideas of Christianity ; 



MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 



39 



that he understands the art of putting his religion into plain 
language for the common mind ; and that he fully appreciates 
the value of his co-laborer Brother Sankey. Again : Nothing 
is more remarkable in Moody's discourses than the simple di- 
rectness with which he brings his hearers face to face with the 
central truths. Being without any noticeable peculiarities of 
manner, making nothing of the way in which to say what needs 
to be said, he gives no one chance to regard anything but 
the truth spoken. As an object of the hearer's attention his per- 
sonality is out of view. He might be " a wandering voice " for 
any appearance of himself between his audience and the truth 
he wishes them to look at. But as a force to be felt, the 
speaker's personality is not absent. The words that are heard 
are the utterance of an earnest, praying, believing soul, intent 
on one object. In proportion as Christians generally can gain 
fqr themselves that undistracted view of the gospel, and with a 
self-emptying earnestness pray for and labor with their fellow- 
men, they will find themselves blessed, and a blessing to others. 
Rev. John A. Broadus, D. D., one of the first of living theolo- 
gians and preachers, thus describes him : 

i. Mr. Moody sweeps away the conventionalities which have 
cobwebbed themselves around our public worship and our 
preaching. Some of us have long been striving to do this, to 
bring eternal things and gospel truths right home to people as 
naked reality, but we could not go beyond a certain point with- 
out shocking the sense of propriety in many hearers. But here 
comes one from whom the fastidious cannot demand " ministe- 
rial dignity," for he is a layman, a business man, and he can 
tell about religion right straight along, can modernize the Scrip- 
ture narratives, and speak of things unseen as real and near, 
and mightily wake up the people from that slumberous decorum 
with which they usually attend upon preaching. No daintiness 
here. A spade is a spade. You are going to hell, but Jesus 
Christ can save you right now. Cut loose from your sins, and 
come to him this very night. For this directness, and homeli- 
ness, and realness, we are heartily thankful. What though Mr. 
Moody sometimes mispronounces a word, or gets a singular 



40 Moody's early life. 

verb for a plural nominative, if he makes men feel that religion 
is business ? 

2. He preaches the doctrines of grace, the old-fashioned 
gospel, square, without rounding the corners. In salvation by 
grace there is real power, and nowhere else. And we rejoice 
to see a man who can gather vast thousands to hear this old, 
old story. A few years ago we remember to have come home 
from New York and Brooklyn with the painful impression that 
some young ministers of various denominations there were 
being led by the specious plausibilities and apparent success of 
a celebrated Brooklyn pastor, to think that the old gospel is 
antiquated, and that the men of to-day must needs preach hu- 
manitarianism, semi-universalism, rose-water doctrine in every 
respect. All the world knows the strange and sad way in 
which the hurtful influence of that preacher has been checked ; 
for if he be deemed a man innocent of grave crimes, he can no 
longer be reckoned an example of that manhood which had be- 
come the central idea of his ministry. But the Providence that 
so often and wonderfully brings good out of evil, has not 
stopped with the destruction of his supremacy. Here comes a 
man who gives the prestige of immense attendance and great 
success to the old gospel. This will affect the minds of thou- 
sands, restraining them from the notion that new doctrine is ne- 
cessary for our age. Not generals alone, as poor Sidney John- 
son remarked, are popularly judged by their success ; but 
preachers and doctrines are so judged by the unreflecting masses. 

3. Mr. Moody has great force of character, invincible deter- 
mination, and means to influence people. What a difference 
between men who go into battle intending to conquer if they 
can, and those who go into battle intending to conquer ! Now 
few can equal him in native endowment as to will, and the 
power of impressing himself upon others ; but all may be bene- 
fited by observing the value of this. At the same time he 
simply, humbly leans upon God's support and blessing. This 
combination of strong self-reliance and humble reliance on 
God, makes a great Christian worker, whether in preaching or 
in other religious work. 






MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 41 

4. He applies practical sense and business-like skill and tact 
to the management of religious services. Many good people 
sadly neglect this. They arrange nothing, or with little care 
and no tact, as to drawing people together, and as to order, 
comfort, and the opportunity of undisturbed attention. But it 
is pleasant to see a number of leading business men bringing to 
bear their native and practical administrative powers upon the 
organization and conduct of a grand series of religious meet- 
ings. Then the exercises of the inquiry-room are conducted 
with great system and good sense. Workers specially suited to 
this delicate and difficult task of conversing with inquirers have 
been selected beforehand from many churches, with the aid of 
the pastors, and a certain group are to be there on an ap- 
pointed evening. All of them have been gathered by Mr. 
Moody in a private meeting, and received from him suggestions 
marked (as repeated to us) by a singular good sense, knowl- 
edge of human nature, and Christian simplicity. When in- 
quirers enter the room, persons quietly take down the name 
and address of each one, and the church he commonly attends. 
The next morning every pastor concerned in New York and 
Brooklyn receives a notice that such a person of his congrega- 
tion (address given, etc.) attended the inquiry-meeting the 
evening before, and an earnest request to visit that person im- 
mediately. Ours is the day of organization, of combined and 
systematic exertion ; let us have more of it in religious work. 

The question is often asked, What are the elements of Mr. 
Moody's power? They are certainly not his natural gifts. 
They flow directly from Christ. Filled with the Spirit, he seems 
to lose sight of every thing but the message of his Master to 
perishing sinners ; and he cannot rest until they are rescued 
from peril. His Heavenly Father is around him and within 
him, pressing him every moment to serve him, and to think of 
lothing else. The love of the Saviour pervades and quickens 
all his sensibilities, and is the atmosphere through which he sees 
his fellow-men. He can say with the apostle Paul, " I live ; 
yet not I, but Christ Hveth in me." 

Dr. Van Doren, of Chicago, says, " An incident, some twelve 



42 MOODY S EARLY LIFE. 

years ago, occurred at the city of — : — , where the pastors and 
friends of a revival sought were assembled. Mr. Moody, as his 
manner then was, laid the blame of spiritual coldness on 
the church, and of course the several ministers present felt 
the strokes. 

" One arose and brought down the lash on what he called 
the Pharisaic display, etc., and repelled the charge. Poor 
Marsyas did not come out of the hands of Apollo more thor- 
oughly flayed alive than did Brother Moody from the hands 
of that trenchant speaker. Instead^ of resenting it, he arose, 
and trembling with emotion said, ' I, from my heart, thank that 
brother. I deserved it ; ' and then asked that brother who held 
the rod ' to pray for him. 3 Every heart was melted : and when 
that prayer was ended, not one, we believe, in that vast audi- 
ence but was willing to welcome and embrace Brother Moody 
from that moment to this. 

" Secondly : Our Brother Moody is a man of inextinguisha- 
ble zeal. In our city of 400,000 people all the boys of this 
wicked city know him and respect him too. A short time 
since, while distributing tracts, I rebuked some boys kindly 
for profanity. ' Say, mister, do you belong to Brother Moody ? ' 
At one time walking in the crowded South Water street with a 
friend, he met a knot of worldly acquaintances. Pausing a 
moment — ' Friends, we may never meet again. Here is an 
alcove. Let us have a prayer.' Love like that drew them 
aside, and he led, all standing. Waving his hand, and with an 
eye beaming with tears, he passed on in silence. 

" Brother Moody is a firm believer in God's words. It is a mar- 
vel to all our ministers, that while so many educated clergymen 
in the Evangelical Church treat the Bible as Homer or Plato, 
he practically writes over every verse, ' Thus saith the Lord." 
Hence he has avoided all those crotchets that weaken and deform 
the influence of many good preachers. His profound, adoring 
love of the Scriptures has led some to think that he reads noth- 
ing else. But like Dr. Johnson, who was said c to take the 
heart out of a book,' he grasps an author's plan and illustrations 
with an intuitive glance. 



Moody's early life. 43 

"Thirdly: He is a man of prayer. This, I hold, includes 
faith. We know that Luther spent half the night in prayer, 
at times. 

" When President Edwards preached that memorable ser- 
mon, 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' at Enfield, New 
England, and a glorious revival began, it was discovered by 
chance, that the elders of the church had spent the whole previ- 
ous night in prayer for a descent of the Holy Ghost. 

"What is remarkable with Brother Moody is that the Holy 
Ghost seems actually to precede him as the cloudy pillar did 
Israel ; and when he comes, his announcement of the terms of 
mercy falls on open ears and hearts." 

" Mr. Moody is a good talker, has great executive ability ; 
has power to move masses of people, is a great general to direct 
and control them. He is an intensely earnest, practical 
worker. His prompt, earnest, systematic management of affairs 
impresses you, not that he is a contemplative devotee, but that 
he is a thorough business man in matters of religion. His 
forces are thoroughly organized, and he has them under perfect 
control. Everything is done decently and in order, and with 
great propriety, and in good taste ; but it is business, emphati- 
cally. There is nothing pretentious about him, nothing arro- 
gant or boastful. His plain, earnest Bible talks go right to the 
hearts and consciences of all classes. It is interesting to notice 
how his associates fall into line at his word of command. Ven- 
erable doctors of divinity, sedate professors, pulpit orators, — 
who have a leadership of their own, — all obey Mr. Moody, 
when he tells them to pray, or speak, and how much time to 
occupy. He has the power to control men, effectually, but not 
offensively." 

These estimates may be fitly closed with this eloquent 
thought : When Mr. Moody speaks, it is not hirrfself alone to 
whom the audience listens, but the whole voice and power of 
Christianity itself behind him, offering the hope whose beauty 
time never obscures, the forgiveness which humanity never 
ceases to desire, the ideals of moral and religious life whose 
force and excellence the succession of ages only strengthens. 



44 Moody's early life. 

It is not so much what the preacher says, as what the audience 
feels. The people lose sight of the plain speaker, and even of 
his conceptions, and hear the echo of the voice, still sounding 
through the centuries, of Him who spake as never man spoke. 
Under that voice they rise to a new life. 

Before we accompany this beloved brother to England, we 
must give some account of his famous coadjutor, the sweet 
singer, Ira D. Sankey. 




IRA D. SANKEY. 



THE EARLY LIFE OF IRA DAVID SANKEY. 
CHAPTER VIII. 

THE BOY IS FATHER TO THE MAN. 

He was born and reared amidst surroundings quite unlike Mr. 
Moody's. His father and mother were natives of Mercer 
county, Penn., now Lawrence county, where the famous gospel 
singer also first saw the light, on the 28th of August, 1840. 
This event has made the town of Edenburg famous, and mil- 
lions will hear of it, because of their interest in him as Mr. 
Moody's associate whose songs of grace and salvation are ring- 
ing round the world. 

Mr. Sankey's father was a man of considerable importance in 
the place where he lived, having held offices of trust and honor 
for many years. He was in good circumstances, and gave 
his son ample opportunities to obtain education. He knew 
little of the severe trials of poverty and was not compelled to 
endure any of its hardships, although he was by no means 
brought up in luxury. 

His parents were Methodists, who knew how to make home 
happy for their children, and also to seek their highest welfare 
as immortal beings. There was a Scotchman named Fraser, 
who used to lead the children to Sunday school while they were 
yet very young. 

In a speech at a children's meeting, Mr. Sankey says of this 
good man Fraser, " The very first recollections I have of any- 
thing pertaining to a religious life was in connection with him. 
I remember he took me by the hand along with his own boys 
to the S. S., — that old place which I will remember to my dying 
day. He was a plain man, and I can see him standing up and 
praying for the children. He had a great warm heart, and the 



46 sankey's early life. 

children all loved him. It was years after that when I was con- 
verted, but my impressions were received when I was very 
young from that man." 

This is a beautiful and suggestive tribute to the kind layman, 
who followed the Great Teacher in taking in his arms little chil- 
dren to bless them. There is no age too early for the incul- 
cation of spiritual truth into the hearts and minds of the young. 
And when we consider an instance like this, we readily perceive 
how wide a field may be under cultivation by a humble person, 
who is only conscious of doing the duty that lies next to him. 
Thus from the beginning he was in a religious atmosphere, 
while Mr. Moody had no instruction in religion till he grew up 
to the age of seventeen years. The testimony of his teacher is 
of great interest, and he writes as follows: 

I can truly say (and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace 
of God as bestowed upon Mr. Moody) that I have seen few 
persons whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when 
he came into my Sunday school class, and I think the committee 
of the Mt. Vernon Church seldom met an applicant for mem- 
bership who seemed more unlikely ever to. become a Christian 
of clear and decided views of gospel truth, still less to fill any 
sphere of public or extended usefulness. Mr. Moody remained 
in my class nearly two years till he bade me " good-bye," on 
leaving Boston for Chicago. 

No weak and hesitating young Sabbath-school teacher can 
call upon a more unpromising scholar than was Dwight L. Moody, 
to tell of a Saviour's love ; and I can only say with humility 
and gratitude, as I think of my humble, ignorant Sabbath-school 
scholar of twenty years ago, " What hath God wrought ! " 

Conscientious work done for the young is bread cast upon 
the waters, sure to return in blessing, but how vast the blessing 
God only can tell. In these instances it is too large to be 
accurately measured. Eternity alone will reveal the immensity 
of the sacred influence of Edward Kimball, and Mr. Fraser, 
in consequence of their fidelity to the youth they .instructed. 
He who labors to mould children for God, is engaged with 
material more enduring than brass. *or marble. 






SANKEY S EARLY LIFE. 47 

The boy David had a happy home, and this gave hi'm a 
cheerful spirit, which he now pours forth in songs of the heart, 
and hymns of love and praise. The bright, genial boy is devel- 
oped into the joyous magnetic man. He who was known 
among his playmates and in his home, as a truthful, honorable 
youth, is a noble-minded unselfish character. Recognized as a 
leader among his boyish associates, he goes forward now in the 
management of large choirs, and the control of thronging assem- 
blies, like a general. 

His conversion to Christ did not occur under his first 
impressions. He was arrived at the age of sixteen, when God 
again had compassion on the soul that once refused His grace, 
and he was brought into deep conviction, which he strove to 
throw off by making light of these things. An earnest man 
again followed up the youth and brought him to decision. 
Thus we see human instrumentality honored in the successive 
steps of his progress. As a beginner in the new life, he found 
himself soon among strangers, for his father removed to New- 
castle. Here he was received into the church, became a 
teacher, and was ere long made superintendent in the Sunday- 
school. 

His talents for singing early manifested themselves at home, 
and were delightful to the family. When he could, he led in 
the exercises of school and conference meetings, and acquired 
considerable reputation as a singer. At his new home, he took 
charge of the music, and soon called around him a larger num- 
ber of attendants than the room would hold. In due course of 
time his popularity placed him at the head of the school, and 
its power for good was such that a constant revival was going 
on within it. He was also a beloved class-leader, where he 
gave the exercises a Biblical character, by encouraging the use 
of the words of Scripture as far as possible by every speaker. 
He added a profound charm to the services by his singing, so 
that his class kept constantly full. When he led the choir, he 
insisted on Christian character and deportment, and also on the 
clear enunciation of the words sung. 

Thus he seemed from the first to have common-sense ideas 



48 sankey's early life. 

respecting the service of song in the house of the Lord, as well 
as a natural gift for music. God nurtured him in a pious home 
and amid godly people to fit him for that holy partnership 
which has proved divinely fruitful in winning souls and uniting 
Christians for stupendous assaults on the kingdom of darkness. 



SANKEY S EARLY LIFE. 49 



CHAPTER IX. 



IN TRAINING FOR HIS WORK. 



While he was in the army this irrepressible love of singing 
endeared him to his companions. He soon became the leader 
of a company of musical soldiers, and made excursions into the 
country, as well as gave efficient help in the camp prayer- 
meetings. This gift undoubtedly assured him good society 
and preserved him from low associations and contaminating 
influences. 

Returning home when his term of enlistment expired, he 
resumed his church duties, and labored with abounding success. 
He held for nearly ten years a position in the civil service of 
the government, and a gentleman who sat at the desk beside 
him bears glowing testimony to his excellent qualities. 

" In the civil service, as in other departments of labor, he 
was noted for conscientiousness, and patient, faithful attention 
to duty. In his rank he stood first in the district, and had the 
entire confidence of all the officers and tax-payers with whom 
he had official dealings. His superiors in office regarded him 
as one of the most prompt, correct, and reliable officers they 
had, and they were always ready to accord to him the honors 
of a faithful public servant. In his long connection with the 
service, there were never known any irregularities in his 
accounts or any loss to the government. He never took 
advantage of his office to his own gain or preferment, but faith- 
fully and honestly cared for the interests of the government. 
On this account he left the service with honor, and with the 
regret of those who were associated with him. 

" He also found favor with the people of the district whose 
business demanded his official supervision. He proposed at 



jjO SAN KEY'S EARLY LIFE. 

one time to reenter the army, and give his services to his coun- 
try ; but from every quarter all the tax-payers who had official 
relations with him sent in urgent remonstrances against his 
retirement from the civil service, and he was constrained to 
remain in this department of the government, where his ser- 
vices were so greatly in demand." 

Soon after he had obtained his position and saw his way clear, 
he was married to Miss Edwards, on the 9th of September, 1863. 
It often happens that singers marry those who cannot sing ; 
but Mr. Sankey chose an attractive member of his choir and a 
teacher in his school. They were happily mated and she proved 
herself to be equally self-denying with her husband. They have 
three sons, to whom she proves herself an affectionate and intel- 
ligent mother, while she is the cheerful, bright companion and 
helper of the evangelist. 

In the course of years Mr. Sankey trained his choir and his 
school so as to give them the greatest efficiency as witnesses for 
Christ. He believes that song should minister as well as preach- 
ing. And this constant use of melody, superabounding sing- 
ing, has been an element of great power in the progress of 
Methodism. 

When the Young Men's Christian Association established a 
branch in Newcastle, Mr. Sankey entered into its enterprises 
most heartily, and was chosen President. In June, 1870, he 
went to Indianapolis as a delegate to an International Conven- 
tion, and there he first met Mr. Moody. It was in an early 
morning prayer-meeting. His religious fervor had called him 
out very early to worship God. Mr. Moody was leading, and 
inwardly chafing over the slow formalism of the occasion, and 
especially was annoyed by the dull singing. When an oppor- 
tunity came Mr. Sankey started a grand hymn and poured out 
voice and heart and soul through the words, and caused a thrill 
of enthusiasm to run over the assembly. There was no more 
dulness in that meeting, and. when it was over, Mr. Moody 
rushed up to the stranger and eagerly inquired about him, and 
announced peremptorily that he had been looking for him eight 
years to help him in his Chicago work, and he must give up all 



SANKEYS EARLY LIFE. 51 

and come with him. Every hour they were together only 
strengthened Mr. Moody's purpose to yoke up with him. 

Without at once recognizing the Divine call through Mr. 
Moody, he kept on his round of Convention visitation, and en- 
gaged in some evangelistic work with others, and everywhere 
received marked favor. He was thus preparing to loose the 
bonds that tied him to his home, and gaining confidence and 
experience to meet the tremendous responsibilities soon to be 
rolled upon him. His voice only once gave out, and after a 
brief respite it returned and has grown stronger with incessant 
use. 



52 SANKEY S EARLY LIFE. 



CHAPTER X. 



TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE. 



Reluctantly Mr. Sankey dissolved the associations whicn 
years had created, and went forth to the work which Mr. 
Moody had called him to perform. For six months they worked 
on harmoniously together in Chicago, till the wave of fire rolled 
over the city and laid it in ruins. The alarm struck as he closed 
the striking hymn, 

" To-day the Saviour calls, etc." 

which he was singing at a meeting in Farwell Hall on that fatal 
Sunday evening. The next day, after untold sufferings and the 
loss of all things, he found himself at the depot of an Eastern 
R. R., where he at once took passage for home. Meanwhile 
he telegraphed Mr. Moody to send for him when he needed 
him, and began to sing for churches and other organizations 
wherever he could do good. They had taken sweet counsel 
together, and accomplished much in their united labors in 
Chicago. Now all seemed lost and each must shift for himself. 
In three months Moody telegraphed, "Come at once," and 
Sankey came, and entered with him into the philanthropic, and 
religious work, which was done in the New Tabernacle, for the 
physical and spiritual welfare of the homelesss thousands who 
flocked about them as doves to their windows. 

In the fall of that year Mr. Sankey brought his family to 
Chicago. While his fellow-laborer went to England, the work 
devolved on him, and God poured out blessings on the Taber- 
nacle. After Mr. Moody's . return, the two held meetings in 
other places, and in one instance so greatly were they favored of 
God in reviving Christians and saving the lost, that the promise 
of a great harvest in America seemed flattering. 



SAN KEY'S EARLY LIFE. 53 

An otfer of a partnership with Philip Phillips in giving con- 
certs on the Pacific coast, was baited with golden inducements, 
but he could not be persuaded to break up the relations now 
strongly cemented. He resolved to accompany the evangelist 
in his proposed voyage to Europe to win ten thousand souls for 
Christ. He told an incident at Dundee, in Scotland, which 
shows how early God gave him evidence that he was called to 
evangelize by song. 

" I want to speak a word about singing, not only to the little 
folks, but to grown people. During the winter after the great 
Chicago fire, when the place was built up with little frame 
houses for the people to stay in, a mother sent for me one day 
to come and see her little child, who was one of our Sabbath- 
school scholars. I remembered her very well, having seen her 
in the meetings very frequently, and was glad to go. She was 
lying in one of these poor little huts, everything having been 
burned in the fire. I ascertained that she was past all hopes 
of recovery, and that they were waiting for the little one to pass 
away. ' How is it with you to-day ? ' I asked. With a beauti- 
ful smile on her face, she said, ' It is all well wit-h me to-day. 
I wish you would speak to my father and mother.' 'But,' said 
I, ' are you a Christian ? ' 'Yes.' 'When did you become one?' 
'Do you remember last Thursday, in the Tabernacle, when we 
had that little singing-meeting, and you sung ' Jesus Loves even 
Me?' 'Yes.' ' It was last Thursday I believed on the Lord 
Jesus, and now I am going to be with him to-day.' That testi- 
mony from that little child, in that neglected quarter of Chicago, 
has done more to stimulate me and bring me to this country, 
than all that the papers or any persons might say. I remember 
the joy I had in looking upon that beautiful face. She went up 
to heaven, and no doubt said she learned upon the earth that 
Jesus loved her, from that little hymn. If you want to enjoy a 
blessing, go to the bedsides of these bedridden and dying ones, 
and sing to them of Jesus, for they can not enjoy these meet- 
ings as you do. You will get a great blessing to your own 
soul" 

Very often men say they were convicted by the singing, or sur- 

17* 



54 

rendered during the rendering of a certain hymn. His songs 
and solos became exceedingly popular abroad, in a brief space 
of time, and soon millions of copies of cheap editions were sold. 
He gets no pecuniary returns from these publications ; and like 
Mr. Moody he depends on the unsolicited offerings of friends. 
The testimonies to his usefulness and attractiveness are numer- 
ous and discriminating. For while his singing is extraordinary, 
his life, his spirit, his exhortations and prayers are sources of 
power which God honors. 

How admirably he was adapted to meet the tastes of the 
British, the following testimonies and a multitude of others, may 
serve to show : 

; ' As a vocalist, Mr. Sankey has not many equals. Possessed 
of a voice of great volume and richness, he expresses with 
exquisite skill and pathos the Gospel message, in words very 
simple, but ' replete with love and tenderness,' and always with 
marked effect upon his audience. It is, however, altogether a 
mistake to suppose that the blessing which attends Mr. Sankey's 
efforts is attributable only or chiefly to his fine voice and artistic 
expression. These no doubt, are very attractive, and go far to 
move the affections and gratify a taste for music ; but the secret 
of Mr. Sankey's power lies, not in his gift of song, but in the 
spirit of which the song is only the expression. He, too, is a 
man in earnest, and sings in the full confidence that God is 
working by him. Like his colleague, he likewise has a message 
to lost men from God the Father ; and the Spirit of God in him 
finds a willing and effective instrument in his gift of song, to 
proclaim in stirring notes the ' mighty love ' of God in Christ 
Jesus. ' It was a few evenings ago,' said a youth in the Young 
Men's Meeting in Roby Chapel, ' when Mr. Sankey was singing 
in the Free Trade Hall "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by," that I 
was made to feel the need of my Saviour ; and when he came 
to these words, " Too late, too late," I said to myself it must 
not be too late for me, and I took him to my heart there and 
then.' ' I was in great darkness and trouble for some days,' said 
a poor woman, rejoicing and yet weeping ; ' and just a little 
time ago, when Mr. Sankey was singing these words' (pointing to 



SANKEY S EARLY LIFE. 55 

them with her finger,) ' " And Jesus bids me come," my bonds 
were broken in a moment, and now I am safe in his arms.' 

" Who ever heard of a fine voice and sweet music yielding 
such results as these ? It is mere scoffing # to say that Mr. 
Moody's touching stories and Mr. Sankey's sweet singing are 
the secret of the power exercised by these men. The work is 
of God, and they are his instruments, each earnestly using, 
to the best of his ability, the gift that God has given him, 
in the full confidence that the blessing will and must fol- 
low." 

" Not a few have been, not unnaturally, offended by the 
phrase, ' Singing the Gospel,' which was at first used in adver- 
tisements ; and some have, unfortunately, never taken the 
trouble to inquire what was meant. But every one who has 
heard Mr. Sankey sing, is well aware that his hymns are more 
than the mere accessory to speeches, as they have too often 
been among us. He has taught by example how great is the 
power of song when a man with gifts of music loves the truth 
of which he sings ; and the hymns which we have heard him 
sing, with his wonderful distinctness of articulation, unaffected 
feeling, and magnificent voice will linger in our ears and hearts 
till our dying day. A few weeks have made his favorite hymns 
as familiar to every rank and to every age as those older hymns 
which we have known best and longest. Poor sufferers in the 
wards of the infirmary, lone old men and women in dark rooms of 
our high houses and back streets, are now cheered in a way no 
one dreamed of before Mr. Sankey came, by visits from those 
who do not attempt to preach to them, but only to sing psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs. The consoling power of song 
has been tested and proved at many a sick-bed, and many a 
death-bed. And that is not all ; for we have been led to see 
that it is a mistake to confine song to utterances of praise or 
prayer in Christian meetings. We have learned to value more 
highly its power in instruction. The use of song for instruction 
and for the application of the truth is not new. It is as old as 
David, as old as Moses, but it has received a new impetus among 
us ; and we who are called to ' teach and admonish one another 



56 sankey's early life. 

in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,' may well be glad to 
have been reminded how this may be done." 

"The admiration of Mr. Sankey's music is enthusiastic. 
When he sings a solo a death-like silence reigns, or, as the 
Irish Times describes it, ' It seems that he only is present in the 
vast building.' When. he ceases there is a rustling like the 
leaves of a forest when stirred by the wind. We might apply 
to him the language of Scripture : 'Lo ! thou art unto them as 
a very lovely song of one who hath a pleasant voice, and can 
play well on an instrument.' No one can estimate the service 
he has rendered to the Church of Christ by the compilation of 
his book of ' Sacred Songs ' and their sweet tunes. They are 
the delight of all ages. I have heard in Scotland that already 
they are sung in our most distant colonies. Ere long I believe 
that they will be sung wherever the English language is spoken 
over the earth. Nor will they be confined to that language, for 
a lady is at present engaged in translating them into German. 
He was a wise man who said, ' let me make the songs of a coun- 
try and I care not who makes its laws.' " 

Mrs. Barbour says : " Mr. Sankey sings with the conviction 
that souls are receiving Jesus between one note and the next. 
The stillness is overawing; some of the lines are more spoken 
than sung. The hymns are equally used for awakening, none 
more than 'Jesus of Nazareth passethby.' When you hear the 
'Ninety and Nine ' sung, you know of a truth that down in this 
corner, up in that gallery, behind that pillar which hides the 
singer's face from the listener, the hand of Jesus has been finding 
this and that and yonder lost one, to place them in his fold. A 
certain class of hearers come to the services solely to hear Mr. 
Sankey, and the song throws the Lord's net around them. 

" We asked Mr. Sankey one day what he was to sing. He 
said, "I'll not know till I hear how Mr. Moody is closing. 
Again, we were driving to the Canongate Parish Church one 
winter night, and Mr. Sankey said to the young minister who 
had come for him, 'I'm thinking of singing "I am so Glad " 
to-night.' ' Oh ! ' said the young man, ' please do rather sing 
"Jesus of Nazareth." An old man told me to-day that he had 



SANKEYS EARLY LIFE. 57 

been awakened by it the last night you were down. He said, 
"It just went through me like an electric shock." ' 

" A gentleman in Edinburgh was in distress of soul, and hap- 
pened to linger in a pew after the noon-meeting. The choir had 
remained to practice, and began 'Free from the Law, O happy 
Condition,' etc. Quickly the Spirit of God carried that truth 
home to the awakened conscience, and he was at rest in the 
finished work of Jesus. 

" It is interesting to know that there are scarcely two of those 
hymns which Mr. Sankey sings by the same author. They have 
been collected during an eight years' experience of the Lord's 
use of them among believers, inquirers, and the careless. In 
the singing of tnem he seems to become unconscious of every 
thing but the desire that the truth should sink deep into the 
souls of the listeners, and that the people who sit in darkness 
should see a great light shining for them from the cross of him 
who hung upon the tree. 

" In a Highland parish, a young man who bad lived far from 
God, and seemed to his minister inaccessible to the truth, was 
found one day last summer deeply awakened. When asked to 
what this was owing, he said it was in consequence of hearing 
his little sister sing, 

' When he cometh, when he cometh, 
To make up his jewels.' 

" Perhaps not a week has passed during the last year in which 
we have not had evidence that the Lord had directly used a 
line* of one of these hymns, in the salvation of some soul. A 
young man who had been deeply impressed, and was yet unwill- 
ing to stay to the inquirers' meeting, and about to leave a church, 
was arrested at the door by hearing the choir sing, ' Yet there 
is Room.' He felt there was room for him, went back to the 
pew, and after having the truth clearly laid before him, received 
Christ. 

"The wave of sacred song had spread over Ireland, and is 
now sweeping through England. But, indeed, it is not being 
confined to the United Kingdom alone, for away off on the 
3* 



58 SAN KEY'S EARLY LIFE. 

shores of India, and in many other lands, these sweet songs of 
a Saviour's love are being sung. Mr. Sankey's collection of 
sacred songs has been translated into five or six languages, 
and are winging their way into tens of thousands of hearts and 
homes, and the blessing of the Lord seems to accompany them 
wherever sung. 



' We may forget the singer, 
But will ne'er forget the sons: 






"Mrs. Sankey is an earnest Christian woman, and fully 
sympathizes with her husband in his blessed work. Both are 
members of the Methodist Church ; while his sweet songs float 
over and inspire multitudes in all Christian denominations." 
The Harp of David was the prototype of the Harmonium of 
Sankey. 

The following pages will contain many glowing proofs of the 
gracious influence which has accompanied this gospel singer in 
his own land. 



PART II. 



THE WONDERFUL CAREER 

OF 

MOODY AND SANKEY, 

GREA T BRITAIN. 



6o MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



CHAPTER XL 

BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 

In the spring of 1873, Messrs. Moody and Sankey left 
Chicago for England. They had been invited by three gentle- 
men to hold meetings in that country. No one else had joined 
in the invitation, and no one else was interested in their visit. 
They had no appointments. No arrangements were made for 
them. No compensation was promised. No one knew of 
their intention to come. They were persuaded that God sent 
them, and therefore they went. Mr. Moody carried his Bible, 
Mr. Sankey his organ and singing book. In June they landed 
in Liverpool, sought a place to preach and sing the Gospel, and 
held a few services. No attention was attracted and nothing 
accomplished, and after a few days they proceeded toward 
York to find the friends who had invited them over. Two of the 
men were dead. But with a confidence that resembled audacity, 
they found a place to preach and went to work. One preached 
the Gospel ; the other sang it. They held their meetings, con- 
versed with sinners, prayed to God; and men and women began 
to ask what they must do to be saved. They labored in York 
a month, and it is believed that two hundred persons were con- 
verted to Christ. 

On Sunday, July 27th, they went to Sunderland, a consider- 
able town near York, on the invitation of a Baptist minister, 
Rev. Arthur Rees. The other ministers generally hesitated, or 
opposed the work. " We can never go on in this way " was 
Moody's characteristic remark ; '• it is easier fighting the devil 
than fighting the ministers." At length a delegation of young 
men from the Y. M. C. A. of Sunderland, waited upon the 
evangelists at their lodgings, and one of them tells the story of 
their reception in the following fashion : 

" They had already been a week in Sunderland ; but, as 



BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 6 1 

yet, I had not seen either of them. Ah ! thought I, what a lift 
heavenward shall I get from these holy men ! We were shown 
into a back parlor by the servant, and very soon the two 
evangelists sauntered in in a style neither ecclesiastical nor 
dignified. Turning to me, Mr. Moody asked, in true Yankee 
fashion, What was our business with him ? He did not show 
us a seat ; he did not offer us his hand : altogether an 
auctioneer-like reception. 

" ' We represent the Young Men's Christian Association, 
Mr. Moody, and have come to ask if you will give us an 
address in Victoria Hall, on Sunday afternoon.' 

"'Preach for you? Oh yes! I'll preach for you,' replied 
Mr. Moody. 

"'We don't want you to preach for us; we want you to 
preach for Christ.' 

" ' Oh yes — yes ! All right ! I'll preach for you.' 

" ' Our committee,' continued I, ' hope you will not misunder- 
stand the reason of their not joining you earlier in your work. 
It is not for want of sympathy ; but because you came to us in 
a sectarian connection, and have allied yourself with Mr. Rees ; 
and if we were to join you, on sectarian grounds, we should 
injure our Institution, which has enemies enough already.' 

"After explaining his position, and that his connection with 
Brother Rees and his congregation had no sectarian signifi- 
cance, he said, — 

"' I go where I can do most good : that is what I am after.' 
And when we left, he followed us out to the gate, saying, ' It is 
souls I want : it is souls I want.' 

" Alas ! I had mistaken the man ; and whether he spoke of 
souls or anything else, it is all the same to me now. 

" ' Well, Frank, what did you think of it ? ' asked my com- 
panion, as we walked off from this strange interview. 

" ' Think ! It is money : that is what it is, James.' 

" However, I went to the meeting, being careful to keep 
out of sight ; but when Sankey began singing, I felt it draw 
me, and very little more of it would have pulled me on to the 
platform." 



62 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

" That was not a good afternoon for Mr. Moody. His eye 
blazed with mournful earnestness, as it ranged that crowd, 
looking for anxious faces : and its strange light lives in my 
memory yet, while all my prejudices and misconceptions are 
dead and rotten. 

" On the following Sunday night, when I got to the rooms 
of the Young Men's Christian Association, I found the meeting 
on fire. The young men were speaking with tongues, prophesy- 
ing. What on earth did it all mean ? Only that Moody had 
been addressing them that afternoon. 'What manner of man 
is this ? ' thought I ; but still I did not give him my hand. . . 
Many of the clergy were so opposed to the movement that they 
turned their backs upon our poor innocent Young Men's 
Christian Association, for the part we took in the work ; but 
afterward when the floodgates of Divine grace were opened, 
Sunderland was taken by storm. 

"I cannot describe Moody's great meeting ; I can only say 
that the people of Sunderland warmly supported the movement, 
in spite of their spiritual advisers ; that there was a tremendous 
work of grace, when measured by its immediate effects, but far 
greater in its consequences, after the evangelists were away. 
All honor to these two brother-soldiers of the cross, who, like 
Jonathan and his armor-bearer, stormed this fortress of British 
unbelief alone ! " 

The second Sunday evening, three thousand people crowded 
Victoria Hall, and after the sermon, many followed them to a 
neighboring church, for an inquiry meeting. Among the 
inquirers, a young man came up the aisle, and threw his arms 
about his father's neck and kissed him, asking his forgiveness 
with many tears ;,then kissing his mother and asking her for- 
giveness, afterward tenderly embracing and kissing his younger 
brother. 

The little fire kindled in York flamed so high in Sunderland, 
that Newcastle on the Tyne« saw it. The ministers came over, 
and their hearts were warmed. The evangelists were invited 
to go back with them, and went. Their fame had preceded 
them, and ministers and people were ready to welcome them. 






BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 6$ 

The meetings were so multiplied that as many as thirty-four 
were held in a single week. They continued through two months, 
the attendance and interest increasing to the close. Crowds 
came from all the surrounding towns, caught the fire, and 
kindled it through all the neighboring counties. 

Mr. Moody said : 

"We have not done much in York and Sunderland, because 
the ministers opposed us ; but we are going to stay in New- 
castle till we make an impression, and live down the prejudices 
of good people who do not understand us. 

" I am always glad to see a minister come to our meetings, 
for he always brings a large reinforcement with him." 

Among the ministers prominent in connection with these 
services have been several of the Protestant Episcopal pastors, 
most of them of the Low Church party. The Rev. Dr. Stewart, 
of St. Clement's Church, a leading High Churchman has, how- 
ever, given utterance to the following sentiments from his pul- 
pit, which will be read with a good deal of interest : 

" It is probably well that I should say something respecting 
the work of certain evangelists who commenced their labors in 
this city to-day. I have heard that they are regarded with 
unkindly feelings by several ministers ; how far this extends I 
know not, but it certainly does not reach the clergy of this parish. 
The right and duty of every layman is by precept and example 
to bring erring souls to Christ, and in the exercise of this plain 
right I bid these evangelists God-speed in their good work of 
awakening souls who, when awakened, will seek the church and 
its sacraments. These men do not come to make proselytes, 
but Christians, and should be aided rather than hindered in the 
effort to bring lost souls to their Saviour." 

From the interesting narratives of the glorious dealings of 
God with his people we compile such as will most graphically 
portray them to our readers. After three weeks at Newcastle, 
great blessings were poured out on their work, which began at 
the Rye Hill Baptist chapel and thence overflowed on every side. 

Every morning at twelve o'clock, in the Music-hall, there 
was a meeting for prayer, praise, and exhortation., at which were 



6± MOODY AXD SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

gathered from two to three hundred people, all earnestly desir- 
ing the revival of God's work in that irreligious town, and daily 
bearing before God numerous written requests from believers, 
for their unconverted relatives and friends. These prayer-meet- 
ings have been felt by all to be true means of grace to the 
hearts of God's children, and numerous and striking have been 
the answers to prayer for the unconverted. Every evening, in the 
Music-hall and Rye-hill Chapel, Gospel services were held, Mr. 
Moody and Mr. Moorhouse preaching the Gospel, and Mr. 
Sankey singing his sweet spiritual songs. At the commence- 
ment of this glorious work, Rye-hill Chapel, which will accom- 
modate from sixteen to seventeen hundred people, was used ; 
but, as many had to go away, not being able to get in, Jt was 
thought advisable to have two services on the same evening; 
hence the Music-hall, where Mr. Hoyle was carrying on a noble 
work for Jesus, was opened each night, and hundreds attended 
there to hear the preaching of the word ; and many were born 
again by the regenerating power of the Spirit of God. 

In connection with these services, Mr. Moody, with that 
indefatigable zeal and fervor which so eminently characterize 
him, announced that he intended to have an ' all-day ' meeting 
on Wednesday, September ioth, and earnestly invited all who 
could possibly come to attend. An all-day meeting was some- 
thing so novel in the history of religious people in Newcastle, 
that much wonder was excited as to what would be the result 
of so bold an undertaking. Many anticipated a failure, others 
thought that it might be a success ; but those who felt the reviv- 
ing power of God's love, and had made this meeting a matter 
of earnest prayer, knew that it would not, could not fail. Ac- 
cording to their faith it was done unto them. Wednesday 
morning broke clear and beautiful. It was a day when all 
nature seemed to be rejoicing in the glad sunshine of the great 
Father's beneficence. 

At ten o'clock, the hour for the service to commence, the 
wide area of Rye-hill Chapel was about half filled, and the peo- 
ple coming in quickly. By eleven o'clock the friends from 
Sunderland, Shields, Jarrow, and neighboring towns, had come 






BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 63 

in by train, and had occupied nearly the whole of the area. At 
twelve o'clock the message came, " No more room in the area ; 
we must throw the galleries open." By two o'clock the galleries 
were well filled, and before the closing hour came round the 
spacious and beautiful chapel was filled with those who had left 
business, home cares and work, pleasure and idleness, to come 
and worship God and hear his word. Never was the faith of 
God's people more abundantly satisfied. They asked and it 
was given, they sought and found, they knocked and the door 
was opened unto them. 

According to the programme which Mr. Moody had dis- 
tributed largely over the town, the first hour of the services was 
to be devoted entirely to prayer and Bible-reading. 

After the singing of that beautiful hymn, " Sweet Hour of 
Prayer," Mr. Moody led the devotions of God's people at the 
throne of grace, and then read and commented on Nehemiah 
viii., 1-12, where it is stated that ' ; all the people gathered them- 
selves together as one man. . . . and they spake unto Ezra the 
scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord 
had commanded Israel." Mr. Moody clearly brought out the 
appropriateness of this Scripture to the services of that day, 
and concluded by unfolding and pressing home to the hearts 
of the people the joyous truth contained in the tenth verse, 
where Ezra said to the people, " Go your way. eat the 
fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom 
nothing is prepared, for this day is holy unto our Lord : neither 
be ye' sorry ; for the joy of the Lord is your strength." 

Mr. Hoyle, Mr. Swinburne, and several of the brethren 
spoke from the Word of God on the subject of Christian joy, 
and the hour of prayer and Bible-reading was gone before we 
had well begun to open the Scriptures. This hour was felt to 
be exceedingly precious, and was received by all as an earnest 
of what was to come. 

The second hour was devoted to the promises, Mr. Moody 
being the leader. He said he wished the friends that day to 
try to see how rich they were. He thought that very few of us 
had ever fully considered how much our loving Father really 



66 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

had promised to us. These promises, like precious gems, were 
to be found in every book of the Bible, and that day we might 
get into the company of all God's great men who had passed 
away, and hear what things they had to tell us about our 
Father's love. We could summon the patriarchs — the prophets 
—the kings ; we could listen to the historians — the biogra- 
phers — the poets of the Bible ; and they would all give to us some 
of the precious promises spoken by God, through their lives to 
the ears of the whole world. The meeting was to be quite open 
and free ; not for speeches about promises, but for the reading 
forth of these good words of God to our souls. The audience 
at once seemed to catch up the spirit and intention of these 
words, and from every part of the chapel—- from young and old, 
from male and female — came passage after passage of the Holy 
Word, declarative of what in the boundless fullness of his love 
the Father has promised to all. 

The interest of the meeting had been steadily rising, as one 
Scriptural topic after another had been most delightfully un- 
folded, when the last hour was reached, and appropriately given 
to the subject of Heaven. 

The address was given by Mr. Moody. Having selected 
numerous passages of Scripture to prove his points, Mr. Moody 
asked some of the brethren present to read them out as he 
called for them. This was a delightful picture — a crowded 
chapel — hundreds of open Bibles ready to be marked when the 
passage should be announced, and the subject uppermost in 
each mind heaven. The first thought which the speaker called 
attention to was the locality of heaven. He said that his mind 
had once been much distressed by an infidel asking him " why 
he always looked upward when he was addressing God ? God 
was everywhere, and his home was just as likely to be below as 
above." This set Mr. Moo.dy back to his Bible to see what it 
had to say about the matter. He was soon quite satisfied that 
God's home was above. The Word said that God, when com- 
muning with Abraham, came down to see whether the people 
living in the cities of the plain had done altogether according 
to the cry that had come to him ; the angels asked the disciples 



BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 6j 

on the morning of the ascension why they stood gazing up into 
heaven ; the same Jesus that had been taken up from them into 
heaven would come again in like manner. These and similar 
passages were sufficient proof to his mind that the home of 
God was above, and that we obeyed a divine instinct when we 
"lifted up " our hearts to him there. 

The locality having been spoken of, the next thought was 
the company gathered together there. Whom have we there 
that heaven should be so dear to us ? 

(i) The Father is there. Heaven is the home, the dwelling- 
place of God. No home is complete without the father ; and 
no family is complete unless they can include the father amcng 
them. Our Father is in heaven. How delightful the thought 
of one day being with him amidst all the joy and splendor of 
home ! Then (2) Jesus is there. He about whom we have 
read, whose Spirit has created us anew in him, whose blood 
bought us, and whose -love saved us ; Jesus is there ; and we 
look to our home in heaven with longing eyes, because there, if 
not before, we shall see him who is crowned with glory and 
honor. Then (3) the angels are there. The pure and spotless 
creations of God, who have known nothing of sin and sorrow 
and travail, who have ever lived their life of bright intelligence 
and holy service in the sunshine of God's presence. These are 
there, and we shall meet them, and tell them of something they 
have never felt — the compassion and love of Jesus for sinful 
men. Then (4) there will be the saints, the spirits of just men 
made perfect. All the old heroes of God, the warriors and the 
kings, the prophets and the poets, the apostles and the early 
martyrs, all will be there, and we shall be able to hold sweet 
communion with them all ; and our own loved ones, the father 
and mother, sisters and brothers, the babes, and the young and 
old, they will be among this shining band, who swell the ranks 
of the redeemed before the throne of God. O what a company 
is there ! Father, Jesus, angels, saints — all who have fallen 
asleep in Jesus — all there ! Waiting for us to come. 

Another point to which Mr. Moody called attention was 
that it is our treasure-house. The only things we have or can 



63 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

have, as saints, will be found there. All else must be left, 
Death strips of everything but heavenly treasure. How this 
should lead us more and more to obey the Master's injunction, 
and seek "to lay up treasure in heaven." It will be there all 
safe when we want it ; for there neither moth nor rust cloth 
corrupt, and thieves do not break through and steal. Not only 
is heaven our treasure-house — it is our reward. There we 
meet with the full fruition of all our labor ; there we receive 
every man his own reward for his own work. No mixing up, 
no confusion ; to each is given his full due. The Christian 
need not expect full compensation below ; he will not get it. 
Heaven — and in heaven he will receive all that he expects. 
Mr. Moody next spoke very beautifully about heaven being 
the place where our names are written. The disciples of 
Christ came back to him from one of their journeys flushed 
with victory, because even the devils had been subject unto 
them; but the Master said they had to rejoice because 
their names were written in heaven. Our names have gone on 
before us. Just as a man sends his goods often before him 
when he is traveling, and he himself follows after, just so our 
names have gone on before, and we are journeying after them. 
We are known in heaven before we get there. The name of 
each saint is in the book of life, and it cannot be blotted out. 
Then, again, heaven is to be our rest. The time to toil and 
suffer is now. We ought not to want to rest here. Mr. 
Moody, on this point, quoted the example which the life of- 
Paul gives us of a man who conceived of the present being a 
life of service, and not of rest. The speaker's soul seemed to 
be set on fire with the thought of Paul's labors and consecrated 
ambition to serve the Master ; with words of true eloquence he 
described the sacred passion which Paul had for his Master's 
work, and wound up a splendid panegyric on Paul's character, 
by wishing that modern Christianity could be imbued with 
some of Paul's fervor. 

The last point of this noble address was, " How to get to 
heaven." And here Mr. Moody found an opportunity for doing 
that which is so dear to his heart, namely, preaching the Gospel 



BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 69 

of Christ to sinful men. The address which throughout had 
been interspersed with touching and beautiful illustrations, and 
now and again by Mr. Sankey singing, was brought to a close 
with an earnest appeal to all " to become as little children, and so 
enter the kingdom of heaven." Once more, as it had been many 
times that day, was our dear brother Sankey's voice heard giv- 
ing his beautiful rendering of one of his choice solos, and when 
the benediction had been pronounced, and the six hours' 
service had come to a close, all present felt that the time had 
gone too quickly. The place of meeting had been none other 
than the house of God and the gate of heaven. Thus ended 
the " all-day " meeting, but, thank God, not thus ended the 
memory of it ; that will live till the last year of our lives, and 
many a soul traveling home to God will think of it as one of 
the deep pools by the way dug by the hand of a loving God 
for the' refreshment of his children. 

In the evening a Gospel service was held, Messrs. Moody 
and Moorhouse speaking ; the chapel was filled to overflowing, 
and many souls went away having found peace in Jesus. 

Let the following incident, reported by Henry Moorhouse, 
illustrate the feeling among the poor and needy : 

A gentleman passing down a street in Gateshead heard 
some one knocking at the window of a cottage. He stopped 
and a respectable woman came to the door, and said : " Come 
in ! " He said he could not then, as he was going to a meeting. 

" Oh, sir, for God's sake come in, and tell me something 
about Jesus, for I am wretched." 

" What is the matter ? " said my friend. 

She said, "I am lost; oh tell me what I must do to be 
saved. I have been standing at my window all the day to see 
if a Christian would come along, and if it had been a beggar 
who loved the Saviour, I would have called him in." 

She had been at a meeting a week before, and had been in 
a miserable state ever since. A Christian lady called to see 
her and told her about the love of Jesus. She trusted, and was 
saved. " I saw her to-day," said the speaker, " as happy and 
bright as possible." 



70 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

The Rev. Thomas Boyd, Presbyterian minister of the place, 
after describing the meetings in the Wesleyan Chapel, says, 
after the evangelists had gone : 

" Such has been the number of cases, and such many of 
the parties, that had it been told to any Christian friend a fort- 
night ago, he would not have believed it. Even with all this 
before us, so wonderful is it, that we almost feel as if we dreamt. 
God's Spirit still works powerfully. Every night souls are 
aroused, and, under the guidance of Christian friends, led to 
Jesus." 

At Stockton-on-Tees, in which the early part of November 
was spent, the result is thus described by an intelligent observer 
on the spot ; and once for all we call attention to the union of 
prayer and Catholic feeling before and in the work : 

" This work has been very great ; and in examining, for our 
own future guidance and the guidance of others, into the 
apparent causes of success, we are struck with the following : 
First, the preparation of united, believing prayer. Mr. Moody 
said, that on coming into the first meeting, he and Mr. Sankey 
felt that they were among a praying people ; and to this and the 
next cause, viz. : the united actio?i of the ministers of the town, he 
mainly attributed the fact, that in no place which they had 
visited had they witnessed such evident results in so short a 
time. It was very delightful to see, at each of the services, 
eight or ten of these devoted pastors, most of them in the vigor 
of young manhood, strong-souled, intelligent men, representing 
various shades of denominational belief, but merging all differ- 
ences in mutual affection, and the common desire to aid in the 
glorious work ; and many hearts were constrained by the sight 
to give thanks for such a ministry in Stockton. Another very 
important feature was the absence of noise in the meetings. The 
experience of the past few days will, we think, have convinced 
them that the best and most successful prayer-meetings ever 
held in Stockton have been the quietest, reminding us of the 
old lady's description, ' God Almighty was so near that nobody 
had to shout to Him.' 

"Nothing is so remarkable in this revival as the utter 



BEGINNINGS ABROAD. 7 I 

demolishing of the old-fashioned prayer-meeting. Enter solemn 
minister and solemn people, scattered — six, — eight, — ten, — 
over a great area. A long slow hymn. Long portion of the 
Word. Two elders pray two long prayers, in which they go 
from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, and a great 
deal farther. 

" Now we have crammed meetings. All sit close together. 
The singing is lively — new songs, new tunes. A few words 
from the minister give the key-note. Prayers are short. A few 
texts from the Word of God are frequently interspersed. Brief 
exhortations. . . . All this comes from our brethren from 
America. Why have we not found out how to conduct a 
prayer-meeting before ? We in this country have been bound 
hand and foot by traditions. In the far West of America, at 
Chicago, for instance, there were no traditions. The only 
people that had traditions there, were the Indians. The 
brethren have thoroughly solved this question of prayer-meet- 
ings for us. We thank them. 

"The border-town of Carlisle was next approached. The 
evangelists are nearing Scotland. The place where, in former 
days Englishman and Scotsman used to meet in desperate feud, 
becomes the scene of victories of another kind. The truth is 
the weapon, and the Victor is Jesus Christ. This none would 
more readily own than the instruments He employed. 

" This is the Lord's doings : it is marvellous in our eyes. 
As in other places, the meetings have been crowded to excess ; 
the United Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Christie is the 
pastor, proved altogether inadequate to accommodate the 
throngs, and the large Wesleyan Chapel close at hand was also 
thrown open, both buildings being completely filled. The 
power of God was present in a most marked degree ; the 
solemn and magnificent songs, seeming now to bring Jesus of 
Nazareth right down into the streets of our own city, or, again, 
to take us right up to the gates of heaven, prepared the way for 
the word of life from the lips of Mr. Moody; that word was 
with power, and many were the anxious souls pressing forward 
to know the way of life. Jesus has become precious to many ; 



72 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

souls have been born of God, and tears of contrition have given 
place to tears of joy. 

" This much as to the blessing bestowed on the uncon- 
verted • but what shall be said as to that which has rested upon 
the Christians ? It has been a time of drawing together such 
as we have not known anything of before. Ministers of the 
different denominations have thrown themselves heart and soul 
into the work, and the close of the week finds us recognizing, 
not in theory but in fact, that we are all one in Christ Jesus, 
and banded together, that by our union in Him we may honor 
His blessed name. 

" Never shall we forget Mr. Moody's farewell address. He 
would not say ' Good-bye ! ' No ! ' Good-night ' rather, and 
meet them all in the morning, in the dawn of eternal day. 
Then strong men bowed and wept out their manly sorrow like \ 
children, blessed children as they were of the same great 
Father ; and one of our brothers lifted our American friends up 
in the arms of love in prayer to our heavenly Father, the 
Jubilee Singers singing thereupon, ' Shall we meet beyond the 
River ? ' Then came the benediction. The business was 
over, and the grand occasion past, the memory thereof to die 
no more. 

'? Although our friends took leave thus of the country 
brethren, they tarried with us, the people of Newcastle, yet a 
while. On that Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday, 
were immense meetings, attended by thousands, overflowing 
into neighboring churches, although Brunswick Place Chapel 
would itself hold two thousand. At these Messrs. Moody and 
Sankey were present. Scores were converted. They were 
present at the noonday meetings of Thursday, Friday, and 
Saturday, at the last of which between two and three thousand 
people met from eleven to half-past one o'clock. On Friday 
there was a midnight meeting, and four were rescued from sin 
and shame. The Saturday meeting was the last attended by 
Mr. Moody. Hundreds had private conversation with him 
afterward, and crowds went with him to the station, en route for 
Carlisle." 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 73 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE WORD IN EDINBURGH. 



Reports of the wonderful interest reached Scotland, and 
Edinburgh heard the story. " Rev. Mr. Kelman went twice to 
Newcastle to see if' the reports of what they heard were true. 
He returned overflowing with joy, and full of glowing expecta- 
tions for Scotland." He spread the tidings ; his report was 
believed, and ministers and laymen united in inviting the evan- 
gelists to Edinburgh. 

On Sunday, the 23d of November, they began their work in 
the Music Hall, with two thousand present, and other thousands 
seeking admission in vain. The next day five hundred met at 
noon to pray, and soon the attendance at the daily prayer- 
meeting exceeded a thousand. An all-day meeting was held. 
A meeting for students was announced in the Free Assembly 
Hall. So great was the eagerness to obtain admittance, that 
the doors were besieged by an immense crowd after it had 
become apparent that the hall was full. Mr. Moody went out 
and addressed the thousands in the open air, and returned and 
spoke to two thousand within, the most eminent professors in 
Scotland sitting around him on the platform. A service was 
advertised for the lower classes, and three thousand attended. 
Every evening there were around the pulpit ministers of all 
denominations, from all parts of the country, while among the 
audience there were members of the nobility, professors from 
the University, and distinguished lawyers from the Parliament 
House. 

At this time many abusive pamphlets were put forth against 
the methods and the men, and reports were circulated repre- 
senting that Mr. Moody had not the confidence of his brethren 
at home. Measures were taken to sift this evil rumor to the 
4 



74 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BPvITAIN. 

bottom. Accordingly in response to inquiries from abroad, 
the following endorsement was proposed and sent to Scotland : 

Chicago, May 21st, 1874. 

We, the undersigned, Pastors of the City of Chicago, learn- 
ing that the Christian character of D. L. Moody has been 
attacked, for the purpose of destroying his influence as an Evan- 
gelist in Scotland, hereby certify that his labors in the Young 
Men's Christian Association, and as an Evangelist in this City 
and elsewhere, according to the best information we can get, 
have been Evangelical and Christian in the highest sense of 
those terms ; and we do not hesitate to commend him as an 
earnest Christian worker, worthy of the confidence of our Scotch 
and English brethren, with whom he is now laboring; believing 
that the Master will be honored by them in so receiving him 
among them as a co-laborer in the vineyard of the Lord. 

A. J. Jutkins, Presiding Elder of Chicago Dist. 

C. H. Fowler, President North-western University. 

Arthur Edwards, Editor North-western Christian Advocate 
(Methodist organ), Chicago. 

M. C. Briggs. 

S. McChesney, Pastor of the Trinity M. E. Church. 

W. H. Daniels, Pastor Park Avenue M. E. Church. 

Sanford Washburn, Pastor Halsted St. Ch., Methodist 
Episc. 

C. G. Trusdell, Gen. Supt Chicago Relief and Aid Society. 

Wm. F. Stewart, Sec. Preachers' Aid Society. 

G. L. S. Stuff, Pastor Fulton St. M. E. Church. 

T. P. Marsh, Pastor Austin M. E. Church. 

Lewis Meredith, Pastor Oakland M. E. Church. 

Arthur Mitchell, Pastor First Presb. Ch. 

Glen Wood, Western Sec. American Tract Society. 

C. D. Helmer, Pastor Union Park Congregational Church. 

Arthur . Swazey, Pastor Ashland Avenue Presbyterian 
Church. 

Rev. N. F. Ravlin. Pastor Temple Ch. 

A. G. Eberhart, Asst. Pastor. 









THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 75 

David J. Burrel, Pastor Westminster Presbyterian Church. 

David Swing, Fourth Presbyterian Church. 

Edward P. Goodwin, Pastor of First Cong. Church. 

L. T. Chamberlain, Pastor of New England Cong. Church. 

Edward F. Williams ; Edward N. Packard ; John Kimball ; 
W. A. Lloyd; C. A. Sowle ; John Bradshaw ; C. F. Reed; S. 
F. Dickinson ; A. Wesley Bill ; Albert Bushnell, Congregational 
Ministers. 

T. W. Goodspeed, Second Baptist Ch. 

W. A. Bartlett, Plymouth Cong. Ch. 

R. W. Patterson, Second Presbyterian Ch. 

W. W. Everts, First Baptist Ch. 

State of Illinois, Cook County, ) 
City of Chicago. ) 

W. W. Vanarsdale, being first duly sworn upon oath, says 
that he is the Superintendent of the Young Men's Christian 
Association of the city of Chicago, Illinois, and that he knows 
the foregoing signatures to be genuine. 

W. W. VANARSDALE. 
Subscribed and sworn to before me, 
this 26th day of May, 1874. 

Isaac H. Pedrick, JVbfary Public. 

Thus the temporary aspersion was removed, and he was 
nobly vindicated as a true, honest, earnest man of God. 

The Tide Rising. 

We are- having a very good time here just now, under the 
preaching of Mr. Moody and the singing of Mr. Sankey. 

We" are all delighted with them; ministers of all denomina- 
tions are joining cordially in the work, and God is indeed work- 
ing graciously. About 2,000 are out every night hearing; 
many more come and cannot get into the church. Two 
churches are to be opened. simultaneously each night next week. 

The singing of Mr. Sankey lays the gospel message and 
invitation very distinctly and powerfully on the consciences of 



J 6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

the people ; and Mr. Moody's gospel is clear, earnest, distinct, 
and well illustrated — telling of death and resurrection — the 
" Gospel of God." He is a first-rate workman, and very prac- 
tical, and God has been blessing his preaching. 

Every evening there have been a number of souls coming 
.into the inquiry rooms ; but last night, when preaching on " the 
Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost," the 
Spirit seemed to be working in special power, and old Formal- 
ity got his neck broken, and the wounded and weeping souls 
came into the inquiry meeting in droves. I had to speak at 
one time to seven all at once, because there was more corn than 
reapers; and others were similarly circumstanced. I saw Mr. 
Moody all the evening with generally more than one. Three 
rooms were open for inquirers, and I don't know what they had 
in the others, but we had about forty names on the paper at the 
close, of those we conversed with in our room. ■ Mr. Moody 
keeps with us in the elders' vestry. Others, who are less sus- 
ceptible and can stand at doors, do so, and lay hold of the peo- 
ple as they retire. About one hundred, I should think, were 
spoken with privately last night, and numbers of them decided 
for Christ. About ten did so (or professed to do so), in con- 
versation with myself. May the Divine Spirit make it a grand 
reality to their souls that Christ is theirs ! On Tuesday night 
I had seven who professed conversion. 

On Wednesday I fought away with two only, both chronic 
cases, deep in the mire of their own thoughts, and feelings, and 
reasonings, and I left them very much the same as I found 
them. (One of them has been saved.) This was, I suppose, 
to teach me this lesson, that it is altogether God's work to save, 
and man is powerless. 

This experience made me go out next night with Jesus' word 
on my lips, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fast- 
lug;" prayer is the symbol of our dependence upon God, and 
fasting is the symbol of " no confidence in the flesh " — or self- 
renunciation. No devil has so powerful a hold of an anxious 
soul but that prayer and fasting will cast him out in the name 
of Jesus. 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 77 

Our noon prayer-meeting is welt attended ; about 700 are 
out daily, and there is a remarkable quickening and earnestness 
among ministers and Christians generally. I know Edinburgh 
well, and I am safe to say that I never knew a time when there 
was a greater appearance of harmony among Christians ; unity 
among the Lord's workers ; and humble, prayerful waiting upon 
God for blessing. 

On Friday there was much blessing to Christians, and num- 
bers of souls were also brought in. On that evening we had 
delightful work in the inquiry meeting, and, I think, I had about 
half-a-dozen I had good hope of. One was specially interest- 
ing, a stranger from beyond Stirling. She was passing through, 
came to the meeting, heard, was awakened, came into the 
inquiry meeting, and into my hands, along with a girl of twelve, 
and both professed to see the way of salvation. This woman 
was astonished to hear that she had just to believe what she 
read there to be saved. She said, " Is that all ? have I only to 
believe?" " Just to believe that forgiveness is yours as a gift 
from God." "Then I do believe." "Then God says you are 
justified from all things." 

Large numbers were out again last night, and we had a 
meeting for inquirers at the Free Assembly Hall. About forty 
confessed that they were new converts, and about forty stood 
up as anxious to be saved, and were asked to go to the other 
side of the hall, where they were conversed with. 

I got down beside a young lady whom I saw anxious in the 
inquiry meeting, but did not have the opportunity of speaking 
to her, and kept at work for an hour with her over the Word of 
God. I could not tell you at length the deep interest of this 
case ; but at the close I had some hope that she has divine life 
and will yet get liberty. 

A beautiful incident happened as I was speaking to her. A 
young girl bounded up to us and said, with an overflowing joy, 
" I am the girl you spoke to at the Barclay Church and gave the 
book to ; now I am just going, but could not leave without 
coming to tell you that I have found Jesus." 

We had a very sweet meeting at noon to-day. Mr. Moody 



7 8 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

gave us the prayers that God does not answer — Moses, Elijah, 
Paul. I pointed out to him afterward, to his great delight, that 
Moses' prayer was answered, to see the land 1483 years after- 
ward, but not as in the midst of Israel, but in better company, 
with Jesus in the midst, on the mount of transfiguration ; and 
he saw the land in the light of the glory of Christ. And when 
he returned he did not care a bit for the land. He was all 
taken up with Christ, and instead of speaking of it or the goodly 
mountain and Lebanon, he and Elias spake to Him of His 
decease that he should accomplish at Jerusalem, the thing 
nearest his heart. That is the sight we, too, shall get of it (if 
we do not see it now) when 'He comes in his glory, and all his 
saints with Him. 

We have had a most impressive address from Mr. Moody 
this evening on the text, " Where art thou f " He spoke very 
solemnly to Christians, and said if they were to wake up, Edin- 
burgh would be filled with awakening from one end to the other, 
inside of forty-eight hours. Then he spoke to sinners, and it 
was most alarming. The three steps to hell, he said, were — 

1. Neglect ; 2. Refuse ; 3. Despise. 

He told them, even weeping, of their danger, and besought 
them to get the question settled now. Ah, it is that tender, 
weeping power in dear Mr. Moody, that is so overwhelming to 
sinners. He is now preaching in one of the best and largest 
churches of the New Town, and yet he has been quite as faith- 
ful as when among the poor last week in the Old Town ; and 
there have been some marked cases of awakening. Mr. San- 
key's singing of " Jesus of Nazareth" had a fine effect upon 
them. I saw it striking in upon the hearts of many ; and many 
weeping eyes told of its power. A widow in front of me, with 
her little boy by her side, was moved deeply, and publicly 
addressed by Mr. Moody, listened with very wistful eyes; and 
both of them came to the second meeting. I was anxious about 
the result of the inquiry meeting in that church, and they were 
rather long in coming in, but it turned out nearly as good as 
before. About fifty were conversed with this first night, and 
there seemed to be quite a number that believed. 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 79 

The first I got hold of was a working man ; and after show- 
ing him in the Word the way of life and peace, and getting him 
to decide, he said : 

"My wife's here." 

" Where ? " 

" Sitting there by herself." 

" Please bring her here." 

She, too, professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they 
went home together believing. 

Then I got a youth about eighteen in a terrible state of 
anxiety, and wrought with him a long time, and though hopeful, 
I do not know that he sees clearly ; but he lives near me, and 
I hope to see him again to-morrow. The life is in, I believe, 
but he wants liberty. 

Then I got a word with about a dozen besides, and gave 
them books. 

I saw three all at once profess Christ in Mr. Moody's hands. 

But there were chronic cases that baffled the whole of us, 
and after ten o'clock there was a man in a corner to whom Mr. 
Gall had spoken all night, who was all but desperate with con- 
viction, Mr. Moody prayed with him, and he was bowed dovyn 
and weeping, but he had to leave him still in bondage, showing 
how entirely it is God's work to set a soul free. 

Mr. Sankey sang " Jesas of Nazareth pass eth by" There 
was a power in it ; many wept. At the close I had three or 
four anxious sinners, and about as many anxious saints. Mr. 
Moody had a goodly number professing faith in his hands. 
Others also were busy. I had some interesting cases of saints 
in darkness who again got light. Just as I was leaving, Mr. 
Moody put into my hands a young lady who had been conversed 
with by one and another all the evening ; and just as I spoke the 
very last word I intended to speak to her, her face was lighted up 
with joy, and she said, " I now trust in the Lord Jesus." Dr. 
Thomson remarked as we were coming out, that he thought 
it had been a night of more solid work than any we have yet 
had. One good thing in being in one of the New Town 
churches is, that " the poor rich," as a noble worker calls them, 



80 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

have got a chance for their souls. The most respectable men 
and women have been plentiful in the meeting, and not absent 
from the inquiry rooms. The poor have far more privileges 
and opportunities of being saved than the better classes. But 
they, too, are getting a chance now ; and we have seen some 
marked instances of salvation among them. We returned home, 
praising God for his grace and blessing. 3 

I have observed that Mr. Moody speaks to inquirers with 
an open Bible in his hands, fixing them down to the Word 
of God, and anchoring their souls on the living rock of the Holy 
Scriptures. He also gets them to their knees in prayer ; and 
I have seen them rising from his side by twos and threes, wiping 
their eyes, and smiling through their tears, confessing Christ. 

Dr. Thomson said, " I think there could not have been 
fewer than one hundred inquirers here to-night, and I think 
more have professed faith in Christ than any night" It was 
very cheering to see the great heartiness with which Dr. Thom- 
son entered into the work of the inquirers' meeting : and also to 
see other ministers there, in considerable force, from his own 
church and other churches engaged in pointing sinners to Christ. 
Having been every night at work for an hour and a half in the 
inquiry meeting, and judging of the work from seeing about 
forty come to Christ in my own hands, I judge that the Lord is 
doing marvellous things among us, whereof we are glad. 

Seven professed faith in Christ all at one time in one com- 
pany, and we had a conviction that it was reality in at least 
four of them. On Friday night, after Mr. Moody's solemn 
word, there seemed to be a great smashing up of souls (as Mr. 
RadclirTe used to call it), and among others, a lady came into 
my hands from San Francisco, California, here for the healing 
of her body ; and her trouble was that the Spirit, she thought, 
had left her. We showed that her anxiety to be saved and her 
clinging to Christ were evidences to the contrary; and she 
left after ten minutes' conversation in a state of blessed eman- 
cipation and comfort. She was brought to me by one who got 
out of bondage the night before ; and I said, " Perhaps you will, 
be bringing two each on Sunday night." 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. gj 

The last case we dealt with on Friday night was the most 
solemn we have seen, except that man who was specially prayed 
for in the noon-day meeting the other day, and saved that night. 
This was a young woman weeping floods of tears. She com- 
plained of a hard heart, and -feared the scorn of the ungodly 
when she went home ; she faintly professed faith in Christ. 

I felt such an interest in this girl that I could not sleep 
without sending her a line by post, inviting her to come next 
day that my wife might read the Scriptures with her, and tell 
her more about the Lord Jesus. She came : I was at a meet- 
ing I have on Saturday evening. We made special prayer for 
her, and the person who led us seemed to get near to God, and 
we had a conviction that we were heard. It was so ; for on 
my return home, I was met with the cheering intelligence, 
" The girl has been here : I have read with her for nearly two 
hours ; and she has just left, saved and happy. She said she 
faintly believed last night, as you said, but she is now at 
liberty, and says she never saw the fullness and freeness of 
salvation as she sees it now. Her eyes were red and swollen 
with weeping last night ; but she was looking bright and smi- 
ling ; and the only tears she wept were tears of expressed 
gratitude that Jesus had received her, and that we had been so 
interested in her as to care for her for Jesus' sake as we had 
done." We have seen her since, and she is looking unto Jesus ; 
but her demeanor is quiet and subdued, and she looks as one 
would do who had just escaped from drowning, or from a terri- 
ble railway collision. 

We have had a meeting to-day for parents and children. It 
assembled — about 2,000 were present ; the parents got a good 
word. Our dear brother Sankey's singing happily gave the 
Gospel to the children in a number of gospel. hymns. 

Mr. Moody addressed parents from Deut. iv. 5-1 1 ; v. 29 ; 
vi. 7. Some young people think they hear too much about 
Christ and salvation from their parents, but here they have 
authority from God to speak of them, morning, noon, and 
night ; when lying down and rising up ; when sitting in the 
house and walking by the way. There should be the most 



82 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

diligent instruction of the young by parents, storing their minds 
with the Word of God. 

Then from Mark x. 13-17 he addressed the children, and 
said that this is the only time when Christ was said to be 
much displeased. He told of the daughter of an infidel dying 
in peace, after being only five weeks at the Sunday school. 
Also, of a boy of twelve, who heard Dr. Chalmers preach, and 
came, at the close of the service, and said he had nothing to 
give, but he would give himself to Christ. He did so, and has 
been the means in our country of establishing many Sabbath- 
schools, with tens of thousands of scholars, and out of them 
have grown as many as thirty-eight churches, in which are 
many precious souls saved and happy, all through this boy 
coming to Christ and giving himself to Him. 

Dr. Thomson said : I should consider it a very superflu- 
ous work to say anything of the trustworthiness of these excel- 
lent men. They have come among us not as unknown adven- 
turers without " letters of commendation," but as long-tried and 
honored laborers in the fields of evangelism in their own 
country, and more recently in Newcastle and other towns in the 
north of England, where there appears to have been a pente- 
costal blessing in which every denomination of Christians has 
shared. And the ministers, and elders, and deacons of our 
different churches that have gathered around them every even- 
ing, and shared with them in their blessed work, prove the 
confidence in which they are held by those in whom the Christian 
people of Edinburgh are accustomed to place confidence. 

The service of song conducted by Mr. Sankey, in which 
music is used as the handmaid of a Gospel ministry, has 
already been described in your columns. I have never found 
it objected to except by those who have not witnessed it. 
Those who have come and heard, have departed with their 
prejudices vanquished and their hearts impressed. We might 
quote, in commendation of this somewhat novel manner of 
preaching the Gospel, the words of good George Herbert : 

" A verse may win him who the Gospel flies, 
And turn delight into a sacrifice." 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 



83 



There is nothing of novelty in the doctrine which Mr. 
Moody proclaims. It is the old Gospel — old, yet always fresh 
and young, too, as the living fountain or the morning sun — in 
which the substitution of Christ is placed in the centre and pre- 
sented with admirable distinctness and decision. It is spoken 
with impressive directness, not as by a man half convinced and 
who seems always to feel that a skeptic is looking over his 
shoulder, but with a deep conviction of the truth of what he 
says, as if, like our own Andrew Fuller, he could " venture his 
eternity on it," and with a tremendous earnestness, as if he felt 
that " if he did not speak the very stones would cry out.'' The 
illustrations and anecdotes, drawn principally from his strangely- 
varied life, are so wisely chosen, so graphically told, and so 
well applied as never to fail in hitting the mark. 

I wish once more to call attention to one essential feature 
in the action of these good men — the daily noon-day meeting 
for prayer. It began some weeks ago in an upper room in 
Queen Street Hall. That was filled after a few days. Next it 
was transferred to Queen Street Hall, which is capable of hold- 
ing 1,200 persons. It was not long ere this became over- 
crowded, and now there are full meetings every day in the Free 
Assembly Hall, which is capable of holding some hundreds 
more. It is a fact with a meaning in it, that simultaneously 
with the increase in the noon-day meeting for prayer has been 
the increase in attendance in Broughton Place Church at the 
evening addresses, and also in the number of inquirers after- 
wards. Before the end of last week every inch of standing- 
ground in our large place of worship was occupied with eager 
listeners, and hundreds were obliged to depart without being 
able to obtain so much as a sight, of the speaker. The number 
of inquirers gradually rose from fifty to a hundred per night, 
and on Monday evening this week, when the awakened and 
those who professed to have undergone the " great change " 
were gathered together in our church hall, to be addressed by 
Mr. Moody no other persons being admitted, there were nearly 
three hundred present, and even these were only a part of the 
fruits of one week. I wish to give prominence to the state- 



84 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

ment that the persons who conversed with the perplexed and in- 
quiring were ministers, elders, and deacons, and qualified pri- 
vate members of our various churches ; and also Christian 
matrons and Bible-women, as far as their valuable services 
could be secured. 

And now, at the close of the week of special services in 
Broughton Place Church, I wish to repeat the statement in your 
paper which I made on Monday in the Assembly Hall, that 
there is no week in my lengthened ministry upon which I look 
back with such grateful joy. I would not for the wealth of a 
world have the recollection of what I have seen and heard during 
the past week blotted out from my memory. When Howe was 
Chaplain to Cromwell at Whitehall, he became weary of the 
turmoil and pomp of the palace, and wrote to his " dear and 
honored brother," Richard Baxter, telling him how much he 
longed to be back again to his beloved work at Torrington. 
" I have devoted myself," he said, " to serve God in the work 
of the ministry, and how can I want the pleasure of hearing 
their cryings and complaints who have come to me under con- 
victions." I have shared with many beloved brethren during 
the past week in this sacred pleasure, and it is like eating of 
angels' bread, first to hear the cry of conviction, and yet more to 
hear at length the utterance of the joy of reconciliation and peace ! 

I was much struck by the variety among the inquirers. 
There were present from the old man of seventy-five to the 
youth of eleven, soldiers from the Castle, students from the Uni- 
versity, the backsliding, the intemperate, the skeptical, the rich 
and the poor, the educated and the uneducated ; and in how 
many instances were the wounded healed and the burdened 
released ! 

It may be encouraging to Christian parents and teachers to 
be told that very much of this marvellous blessing, when once 
begun in a house, has spread through the whole family, and 
those who already had the knowledge of divine truth in their 
minds by early Christian education, formed by far the largest 
proportion of the converts. The seed was there sleeping in the 
soil, which the influence from above quickened into life. 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 8$ 

There was a considerable number of skeptics among the 
inquirers, but their speculative doubts and difficulties very 
soon became of no account when they came to have a proper 
view of their sins. Some have already come to tell me of 
their renunciation of unbelief, and their discipleship to Christ. 
One has publicly announced that he can no longer live in the 
ice-house of cold negations, and has asked Mr. Moody to pub- 
lish the address which brought light to his heart, and to circu- 
late it far and wide over the land. 

I witnessed no excesses in the inquiry rooms, but there was 
often deep and melting solemnity, sometimes the sob of sorrow, 
and the whispered prayer of contrition or gratitude. There 
must, however, occur at times imprudent things and excesses 
in connection with even the best works that have imperfect 
though good men employed about them. But cold criticism 
that is in search of faults, or ultra-prudence that attempts noth- 
ing from fear of making mistakes, is not the temper in which to 
regard such events. I would not dare to take either of these 
positions, " lest haply I should be found to be fighting against 
God." 

I have already expressed my high appreciation of Mr. 
Moody's manner of addressing. If some think that it wants 
the polished elegance of certain of our home orators, it has 
qualities that are far more valuable ; and even were it otherwise, 
the great thing is to have the gospel of the grace of God clearly 
and earnestly preached to the multitudes who are crowding 
every night to listen to him. When the year of jubilee came in 
ancient times among the Jews, I suspect the weary bond-slave 
or the poor debtor cared little whether it was proclaimed to 
him with silver trumpets or rams' horns, if he could only be 
assured that he was free. 

The following paper was issued, and sent to every denomi- 
nation in Scotland : 

" Edinburgh is now enjoying signal manifestations of grace. 
Many of the Lord's people are not surprised at this. In 
October and November last, they met from time to time to 
pray for it. They hoped that they might have a visit from 



86 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Messrs. Moody and Sankey of America, but they very earnestly 
besought the Lord that He would deliver them from depending 
upon them, or on any instrumentality, and that He himself 
would come with them, or come before them. He has gra- 
ciously answered that prayer, and His own presence is now 
wonderfully manifested, and is felt to be among them. God is 
so affecting the hearts of men, that the Free Church Assembly 
Hall, the largest public building in Edinburgh, is crowded every 
day at noon with a meeting for prayer ; and that building, along 
with the Established Church Assembly Hall, overflows every 
evening when the Gospel is preached. But the numbers that 
attend are not the most remarkable feature. It is the presence 
and the power of the Holy Ghost, the solemn awe, the prayer- 
ful, believing, expectant spirit, the anxious inquiry of unsaved 
souls, and the longing of believers to grow more like Christ, — 
their hungering and thirsting after holiness. The hall of the 
Tolbooth Church, and the Free High Church are nightly 
attended by anxious inquirers. All denominational and social 
distinctions are entirely merged. All this is of the God of Grace. 

" Another proof of the Holy Spirit's presence is, that a 
desire has been felt and expressed in these meetings, that all 
Scotland should share the blessing that the capital is now 
enjoying. 

" It is impossible that our beloved friends from America 
should visjt every place, or even all those to which they have 
been urged to go. But this is not necessary. The Lord is 
willing Himself to go wherever He is truly invited. He is 
waiting. The Lord's people in Edinburgh, therefore, would 
affectionately entreat all their brethren throughout the land to 
be importunate in invoking Him to come to them, and dismiss 
all doubt as to His being willing to do so. 

"The week of prayer, from 4th to nth January next, affords 
a favorable opportunity for combined action. In every town 
and hamlet let there be a daily meeting for prayer during that 
week, and also as often as may be before it. In Edinburgh the 
hour is from 12 to 1, and where the same hour suits other 
places, it would be pleasing to meet together in faith at the 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 8j 

throne of grace. But let the prayers not be formal, unbelieving, 
unexpecting, but short, fervent, earnest entreaties, mingled with 
abounding praise and frequent short exhortations ; and let them 
embrace the whole world, that God's way may be known upon 
earth, His saving health among all nations. If the country will 
thus fall on their knees, the God who has filled our national 
history with the wonders of His love, will come again and sur- 
prise even the strongest believers by the unprecedented tokens 
of His grace. ' Call unto me and I will answer thee and show 
thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not' " 

This was signed by thirty-eight ministers of all denom- 
inations. 

Mr. Moody addressed some special meetings in Free 
Assembly Hall. 

On Sabbath morning, December 14, he addressed the 
young men of the Sabbath-morning Fellowship Union. 

On Friday, December 19, he preached to young men on 
being born again. 

On Sabbath morning, December 21, he addressed Sabbath- 
school teachers. 

The same evening he preached to the students of Edinburgh 
University and the New College, on " There is no difference." 
This was one of the most magnificent sights I have ever wit- 
nessed. On the platform with him were numbers of professors 
of both colleges, and I believe, the majority of the students. 
The hall was densely crowded, and I question whether he ever 
addressed a more intelligent audience, or one that gave him more 
profound and riveted attention. Had they not had confidence 
in him, and felt his power, and, we trust, the higher power of 
God's Spirit and truth, they would not have sat for more than 
two hours with such quietness. He commanded that immense 
meeting of about two thousand men, as no man on that plat- 
form, save Dr. Duff, could have done. The living power of 
God's Holy Spirit was felt giving the word, and laying convic- 
tion on the conscience. The Gospel given at the end was most 
touchingly illustrated, and the very appropriate hymn sung by 
Mr. Sankey, " I am sweeping through the gales,' gave a spirit- 



88 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

ual finish to the whole that had been spoken. It was an oppor- 
tunity such as no man ever before enjoyed here ; and we can- 
not doubt but that God has given and used it for the conversion 
of souls and the glory of Christ. 

At half-past eight o'clock, December 29, there was a meet- 
ing held in the Corn Exchange, Grassmarket, which was at- 
tended by about 3,000 persons belonging to the poorer classes. 
The Rev. Mr. Morgan opened this meeting with prayer. 

Mr. Moody began his address by telling the well-known 
story about Rowland Hill and Lady Erskine. Her ladyship 
was driving past a crowd of people to whom Hill was preaching. 
She asked who the preacher was, and, on being informed, told 
her coachman to drive nearer. Rowland Hill, seeing her ap- 
proach, asked who she was, and when he was told, he said 
there was a soul there for sale. Who would bid, he asked, for 
Lady Erskine's soul ? There was Satan's offer. He would give 
pleasure, honor, position, and, in fact, the whole world. There 
was also, he said, the offer of the Lord Jesus, who would give 
pardon, peace, joy, rest, and at last heaven and glory. He then 
asked Lady Erskine which of these bids she would accept. 
Orde^ng her coachman to open her carriage-door, she pressed 
her way through the crowd to where the preacher was, and said, 
"Lord Jesus, I give my soul to Thee ; accept of it." 

Mr. Moody went on to urge on his hearers to give them- 
selves there and then to the same Saviour who was that day 
preached in the hearing of Lady Erskine, and accepted by her. 
He brought out the freeness of the gospel offer, and the im- 
portance of immediately closing with it. He mentioned several 
instances of conversion — one of them concerning a soldier, who 
had been at the meeting of the previous night in that same hall, 
and who had afterward gone up to the Assembly Hall, had 
received Christ there, and was now professing himself a Chris- 
tian man. 

Mr. Sankey sang several of his hymns—" The Lifeboat," 
" Jesus of Nazareth passeth by," and " The Prodigal Child," 
being among them. 

The meeting on Sunday night, Dec. 28, seems to have been 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 89 

the most extraordinary of all these meetings. Though there 
were about 5,000 persons present, the most perfect order was 
observed, and the deepest interest manifested in the proceedings. 
After this meeting was over, hundreds pressed up to the Free 
Assembly Hall, and when the question was put if there were 
any there anxious about their souls and desiring to be saved, 
the whole body rose to their feet in answer to the question. 
The interest shown was such as many of those present had 
never before seen in the course of a long ministry among the 
people. Mr. Moody expressed himself as more impressed by it 
than he had been by anything he had ever before seen. 

Mr. Moody preached on Sabbath forenoon in Free St. 
George's Church, his subject being, " What Christ has done for 
man." This he treated very generally. In the afternoon 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey conducted evangelistic services in 
the Free Assembly Hall and the Free High Church at five 
o'clock, and in the Established Assembly Hall and Free St. 
John's Church at six o'clock — these meetings being for females 
only. The Jubilee Singers sang at each of these meetings. 
There was an immense meeting in the Corn Exchange, Grass- 
market, at seven o'clock. The great hall was filled with people, 
who stood closely packed together in every part of it. There 
must have been between 6,000 and 7,000 persons present. 
Short addresses were delivered by several ministers and laymen, 
frequent prayer engaged in, and a great number of hymns sung 
by Mr. Sankey and the Jubilee Singers. These hymns had 
each of them a bearing on the thoughts or sentiments that 
formed the themes of the addresses by which they were pre- 
ceded. There was the most perfect quiet observed by the vast 
assemblage, and both addresses and hymns were listened to 
with the utmost attention. 

In his address Mr. Moody pointed out that though it was 
because of Adam's sin man was condemned, it was not because 
of it that any one would be lost, but because they neglected to 
lay hold of the remedy. 

Mr. Moody preached to about fifteen thousand this first 
Lord's-day of 1874, at seven different times. His passion for 



90 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

saving souls is self-consuming. Let all Christians pray that he 
may be upheld by God, in body and soul, and blessed more 
and more. 

Tens of thousands of men, women, and children of all 
classes of the community have crowded the halls and churches 
where they have preached and sung of Christ and the Gospel. 

Multitudes of men assembled in the Corn Exchange, and 
multitudes of women in the Assembly Halls and adjoining 
churches on the Lord's day to hear words whereby they might 
be saved ; and on the week days the daily prayer-meeting, noon, 
and night, was crowded with eager anxious throngs of Christians 
or anxious ones ; while in the Newington U. P. Church and the 
Canongate Parish Church, fully three thousand came together 
nightly to listen to the singing and preaching of the glorious 
Gospel of Christ. 

Bible lectures have been held in the Free Assembly Hall, 
Viewforth Church, West Coates Church, and Free St. Mary's, 
and thereby have received clearer light on the Gospel, more 
stable standing on the sure foundation, and blessed freedom 
from bondage. 

Mr. Moody's excellent plan of making the Bible speak for 
itself by quoting text after text and commenting on them, and 
enforcing them by striking illustrations, has been of eminent 
use among Christians who had life but no liberty. Christ has 
said through him to many a young and groaning one, " Loose 
him, and let him go." 

Mr. Moody's clear preaching of grace reigning through 
righteousness and salvation by grace without the works of the 
law, and the believer's place in Christ where there is now no 
condemnation, and sin shall not have dominion over us, because 
we are not under law, but under grace, is fitted to give imme- 
diate relief to burdened, unclear, and legal Christians, of whom 
we have crowds. 

His mind has evidently been in contact with clear Scrip- 
ture teachings, such as one seldom meets with in our day : for 
he has learned to draw his words of grace and truth from the 
clear crystal river of divine Revelation, and not from the 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 9 1 

muddy streams of human theology ; and if we, ministers of 
Christ, are still to get a hearing from the people who have hung 
as if spell-bound on the ministry of Mr. Moody, we must preach 
in the same simple, scriptural, loving, and direct manner. He 
has lifted up a crucified and glorified Christ, honored the Holy 
Ghost by believing in His constant presence and grace, and 
his Gospel has been made the power of God unto salvation to 
unnumbered souls. We calculate that as many as 30,000 have 
listened to his beseeching voice. 

The work of grace is no doubt deep, wide-spread, and ex- 
traordinary, as compared with the state of things spiritually 
previous to the coming of those earnest men ; but it is only the 
ordinary and normal result of prayer and preaching, which the 
model of the Acts of the Apostles warrants us in expecting 
when all the disciples of Christ are continuing with one accord 
in prayer and supplications, and in dependence in the Holy 
Ghost are bending all their energies to the one work of getting 
the Christ of God magnified by the conversion of perishing 
souls. When we consider that the great bulk of the ministers 
and Christian people of Edinburgh have been doing almost 
nothing else for nearly two months but giving themselves to 
receive blessing, and to co-operate with our excellent friends to 
make the Gospel triumphant in the city ; and when we consider 
that there has been this concerted, continued, and concentrated 
effort towards this one thing, we have hardly seen so much fruit 
as we might reasonably have expected ; and we are very sure 
if there had not been much grieving and quenching of the Holy 
Spirit of God among us in connection with this work, both se- 
cretly and openly, He would have wrought with mightier power, 
and the harvest of souls would have been much more abundant. 

There has never been, as in other days, thousands pentecos- 
tally smitten simultaneously : whole meetings arrested as in the 
years of the right hand of the Most High in times past, and 
made to stand still and see the salvation of God. Might the 
Lord not have given such power as would have left hundreds, 
instead of tens, anxiously inquiring what must we do, if there 
had been an entire exclusion of " the flesh " and a total self- 



i 



92 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

surrender on the part of Christians, more regard for the glory 
of Christ, less grieving and quenching and more honoring of 
the Holy Ghost ? 

We do not quite sympathize with some things which have 
been said about Mr. Moody's preaching, and especially that he 
is not eloquent. What, we would ask, makes the meetings flat 
when he is absent but the want of a quality he possesses ? and 
what makes them full of life and spiritual emotion when he is 
present, but just the superior divine eloquence which flows in 
his burning words, as if an electric current were passing through 
every heart ? 

He is the most powerful speaker — the most eloquent 
preacher — who most fully carries an audience with him and 
produces the greatest results ; and if Mr. Moody is judged by 
such a rule, he is one of the most eloquent of living men, for 
none of us here who are ministers feel the least desire to speak 
if he is present, for with all our university training we acknowl- 
edge his superior power as a heaven-commissioned evangelist. 
He has the all-powerful eloquence of a man full of the Holy 
Ghost and of faith, and fired with indomitable zeal for the glory 
of Christ and the salvation of souls. He may be devoid of rhet 
oric (and that, we suppose, is meant), and he may use his free 
dom in extemporizing grammar to suit himself, but withal 
Moody is the most eloquent, as he is the most successful 
preacher among us. The Lord be praised for giving such gifts 
to men, and for the thousands of souls He has converted by 
him in this city, or set into the liberty of grace by a fuller 
knowledge of Christ and His finished work. 

What masses of young people from the schools crowded the 
meetings during the holidays ! And so great has been the at- 
traction of the singing of the one and the eloquence of the 
other, that hundreds of young persons, especially of the higher 
classes, who were formerly accustomed to go to the theatre, 
opera, and pantomime, gave them up deliberately, and from 
choice and the force of conviction attended the gospel and 
prayer-meetings. Men who can draw away our educated chil- 
dren by the hundred in this city that boasts of its education, from 



: 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND, 



93 



these haunts of pleasure and amusement, to hear of Christ in 
preaching and songs, and embrace Him as their Saviour, and 
cling to them as their friends, have that spiritual education 
which ennobles the character, implants delicate feelings, gener- 
ous sentiments, tender emotions, and gracious affections, which 
the young very quickly discover and reciprocate. 

But we have no doubt that a very great part of Mr. Moody's 
superiority over most ministers as a preacher of the gospel, 
arises from his superior knowledge and grasp of the Holy 
Scriptures. 

Messrs. Moody and Sankey's principle for gospel work is 
the recognition of the divine unity of the one body of Christ ; 
and accordingly wherever they go they say, in effect, A truce to 
all sectarianism that the Lord alone may be exalted : let all 
denominations for the time being be obliterated and forgotten, 
and let us bring our united Christian effort to bear upon the 
one great work of saving perishing souls. It is a charming 
sight to look back over the past eight weeks and think of men 
who, it appeared, were for all time to come in religious antag- 
onism because of their controversial differences on the Union 
question, sitting side by side on the same platform lovingly 
co-operating with those American brethren and with one another 
for the conversion of souls. All old things seemed to have 
passed away, and all things had become new, and all rejoiced 
together in the blessing which has been so richly vouchsafed by 
the God of all grace. 

There has been such a commingling of ministers and Chris- 
tians of all the churches — all sectarian thoughts and feelings 
being buried — as has never been witnessed in this city since 
the first breaking up of the Church of Scotland, more than 140 
years ago. What all the ministers and people of Scotland were 
unable to achieve — a union of Christians on a doctrinal basis — 
God has effected, as it were at once, on the basis of the inner 
life by the singing of a few simple hymns and the simple preach- 
ing of the gospel : — for as the unity of the nation was secured 
by the one purpose to make David king over all Israel : " All 
these men of war that could keep rank came with a perfect 



94 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel ; and all 
the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king, 
and there was great joy in Israel '*(i Chron. xii. 38) ; so the one 
purpose to have the Lord Jesus exalted and made supreme, and 
His glory in the triumph of His gospel and the salvation of 
sinners made manifest, has united the ministers and Christian 
people of every name in the metropolis of Scotland : " and there 
was great joy in that city" (Acts viii. 8). " Be it known unto 
you all, that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye cru- 
cified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him " hath 
been " shed forth this which ye now see and hear." " This was 
the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is 
become the Head of the Corner. Neither is there salvation 
in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given 
among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts iv. 10-12). 
"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This 

IS THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HATH MADE. We will be glad 

and rejoice in it " (Ps. viii. 23, 24). 

Mr. Moody is overpoweringly in earnest, and he brings in the 
direct, straightforward, decided methods of a thorough-going, 
energetic man of business into his addresses, in conducting 
meetings, and his dealing with souls, and, as a preacher gene- 
rally stamps his own image upon his converts, we may hope to 
see a brood of decided Christian witnesses and testifiers arising 
out of this time of awakening, that will let it be known that the 
glory of the Lord Jesus is the uppermost purpose in their 
hearts. 

This witness-bearing has already begun in colleges and 
schools, in families and work-rooms, in drawing-rooms and 
kitchens. There are discussions going on everywhere regarding 
both the men and the movement. In ladies' schools there are 
young converts testifying for Jesus, and boldly confessing Him 
as their Saviour ; evening parties, through the influence of the 
young believers in the household, are being converted into 
Christian assemblies to talk over the preaching of Mr. Moody, 
and to sing in concerted worship the hymns and solos which 
have been introduced by the inimitable singing of Mr. Sankey. 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 



95 



These two quiet and humble Americans have all but turned 
society in Edinburgh upside down, and by the grace of God, 
have given its citizens the merriest Christmas and the happiest 
New Year that they have ever enjoyed, by gathering them 
around the Lord Jesus. It seems as if a voice from heaven had 
been saying, " O clap your hands, all ye people : shout unto 
God with the voice of triumph. God is gone up with a shout, 
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, 
sing praises ; sing praises to our King, sing praises ; sing ye 
praises with understanding." 

WHAT GOOD HAVE MESSRS. MOODY AND SANKEY DONE IN 
EDINBURGH ? 

This is a question which, in its inward aspect, can be 
answered only by Him who knows the hearts of men ; but that 
which is visible and apparent can be set down in writing. 

For one thing, Mr. Moody has given the Bible its due 
place of prominence, and has made it to be looked upon as the 
most interesting book in the world. This is honoring the Holy 
Ghost more than all the prayers for His outpouring that have 
been offered ; for it is getting into the mind of God as the 
Psalmist got, when he said, "Thou hast magnified Thy word 
above all Thy name." His addresses on such themes as 
" How to study the Holy Scriptures," and " The Scriptures 
cannot be broken ; " his own Bible lectures, which were so full 
of Scripture, and helpful to hundreds of Christians ; his con- 
stant reference to the Bible, and quotations from it in his 
preaching; his moving about among the anxious with the open 
Bible in his hands, that he might get them to rest their souls 
on the "true sayings of God; " and his earnest exhortations to 
young Christians to read the Word, and to older and well- 
taught Christians to get up " Bible readings," and invite young 
Christians to come to them, that they might be made ac- 
quainted with the mind of Christ, all showed how much in 
earnest he is to give due prominence to the Holy Scriptures. 

Mr. Moody has also given us a thorough specimen of good 



g6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Gospel preaching, both as to matter and manner of communica- 
tion. It is not a mixture of law and Gospel : his Gospel is " the 
Gospel of the grace of God," " without the works of the law," 
the " Gospel of God " coming in righteously and saving the lost, 
not by a mere judicial manipulation and theoretically, but by 
grace, power, and life coming in when men were dead, so that we 
have not only sins blotted out by the blood of Christ, but deliv- 
erance from sin in the nature by death and resurrection, and 
life beyond death, so that a risen Christ is before us, and we in 
Him. when it is said, " There is therefore, now no condemna- 
tion to them which are in Christ Jesus." There is "justifica- 
tion^/"/^" in his preaching, immediately that we are "justified 
by His bloods 

He has also distinguished with much decision and precision 
between the Adam nature and the new creation in Christ, and 
made it as clear as noon-day that salvation is not the mere set- 
ting right of man's existing faculties, but the impartation of new 
life in Christ, a new nature, a new creation, so that there exist 
two utterly opposed natures in the one responsible Christian 
man, and that " these are contrary the one to the other : " and 
the knowledge of this gives young Christians immense relief, 
and a solid foundation for holiness at the very commencement 
of their Christian course. New creation in Christ — not the 
mending of the old creation — is Mr. Moody's idea of Chris- 
tianity : and it is the divine reality which many are now en- 
joying. 

This also leads to the Pauline theory of holiness, as preach- 
ed by' him. He has imbibed very fully the theology of the 
Epistle to the Romans on this point, and insisted with much 
earnestness that Scripture has it that Christians are not under 
the law in any shape or form, and that this is essential to holi- 
ness : — " For sin shall not have dominion over you ; for ye are 
not under law, but under grace " (Rom. vi. 14) ; " But now we 
are delivered from the law, that we should serve in newness of 
spirit " (Rom. vii.). His doctrine is that the law never made a 
bad man good or a good man better, and that we are under 
grace for sanctification as well as for justification ; and yet the 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 97 

righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the 
flesh (that is, under law) " but after the Spirit " (Rom. viii. 4). 
Kis clearness in distinguishing between law and grace has been 
the lever of life to many souls. 

" Our American brethren have also been of great use in show- 
ing us what may be accomplished in the conversion of souls, if 
the heart is only fully set upon it, and there is a determination 
to have it. They came to us with that distinct aim and object 
in view ; and the Lord gave them the desires of their hearts ; 
and as the result hundreds of souls have professed salvation. 
They gave themselves to " this one thing," and they stuck to it, 
brushing aside all other things : even the conventional courte- 
sies of life were made short work of by Mr. Moody if he spied 
an anxious soul likely to escape. His friends might introduce 
some notable stranger at the close of a meeting, and feel rather 
annoyed that, instead of conversing with him or her, he darted 
off in a moment to awakened souls ; but he made that his work, 
and everything else had to be subordinate to it. " This one 
thing I do," seems to be his life-motto ; and in sticking to this 
all-absorbing object, he has read us a noble lesson of holy 
resoluteness and decision. If we who are ministers have similar 
faith and expectancy, and work like our American friends for 
the conversion of souls, the conversion of souls we shall have. 
Our Lord said to those who were to be the first preachers of 
His Gospel, " I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye 
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should 
remain " (John xv. 16) ; a??d when they were endued with the 
Holy Ghost and with power, they did " bring forth fruit " in the 
conversion of souls (Acts ii. 41 ; iv. 4) ; and their fruit remained 
(Acts ii. 42), and has done so, in the millions of souls saved 
in all ages down to the present day. 

Our friends have been the means of rescuing hundreds of 
souls in this city from impending and everlasting damnation. 
Their labors have been especially fruitful in the conversion of 
young women and girls, who in course of time will be in the 
important position of wives and mothers ; and if the thousand 
of them that appear at the young converts' meeting, to receive 

5 



98 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Mr. Moody's farewell address, should all hold out, it will be an 
unspeakable blessing that has been conferred by God on this 
community through their instrumentality. 

Persons at a distance have wondered at us having so many 
ladies among the anxious, and the question has repeatedly 
come to us, " Where are the men ? Your anxious inquirers 
are nearly all women, as we read of them in your reports." If 
such persons had been present on Friday, Jan. 16, and run 
their eyes over the young converts in the Free Assembly Hall, 
between eight and nine o'clock, and counted, as was done, the 
1,150 that were present, and failed to find 150 of them men, 
they would no longer have been at a loss to see why the greater 
proportion of the cases of awakening mentioned are women. 

But we believe also that any one who would affirm, from the 
excessive preponderance of women over men on Friday at the 
young converts' meeting, that the movement had only laid 
hold of women, would be very wide of the truth ; for although 
the meetings went on for three weeks almost without men, 
towards the close there were many young men who were 
brought under the power of the truth. It is however, well 
known that most young Scotsmen, from a variety of influences 
and motives, even though converted, would rather be excluded 
from the meeting than face the ordeal through which those had 
to pass who received tickets ; and had there been a converts' 
meeting for men to come to without any examination or receiv- 
ing of tickets, hundreds would have attended it. 

In a time of awakening it is also well known that women 
who are religiously impressed will go through fire and water to 
comply with the wishes of those who have been made useful to 
their souls. They will do anything they are asked to do ; 
hence the mass-meeting of women on Friday, the 16th. But 
not so with men — especially Scotsmen — hence the absence, 
notwithstanding that many are known to have been converted. 

Before that meeting was held, we had given it as our calcu- 
lation, based on the facts that had come under our own obser- 
vation daily in the inquiry-meeting, that there might be 1,500 
souls converted, or who had professed to be converted, believ- 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 



99 



ing themselves to be so. We are still of the same judgment, 
and that very many more of them are men than that converts' 
farewell meeting revealed. Twelve hundred women and three 
hundred men and boys seem to be the proportion and sum 
total who have professed conversion. Hundreds of them may 
go on flourishingly, and bring forth thirty, sixty, and a hundred 
fold. Hundreds may go back, die out, or be choked with the 
world, and many who have divine life in their souls may col- 
lapse, and the work may have to be done over again, and they 
revived and set at liberty, because of the lack of teaching. 
This has been our observation of the results of past revivals, 
having been in nearly all that have taken place in this country 
for the last six-and-twenty years. But we see no necessity for 
this sad outcome of a blessed work of grace, if the professed 
converts were fully taught in all the precious truth of God with 
regard to their place in a risen and glorified Christ, as Romans, 
Ephesians, and Colossians, spiritually and competently ex- 
pounded, would teach them. Good milk, and plenty of it, 
makes an infant thrive and grow. " As new-born babes, desire 
the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Grow 
in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ." The only way not to fall is to grow, and growth and 
strength are by the truth. 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

ON TO GLASGOW. 

Five meetings in one day, at Berwick-on-Tweed, drew thou 
sands together, and the arrows from God's quiver pierced 
hundreds of hearts. 

A few days in Dundee awakened such interest that the 
evangelists returned five months later, when the enthusiasm far 
exceeded that of the previous visit. Every evening for a week 
from 10,000 to 16,000 people assembled in the open air to 
listen to the Gospel. Hundreds yielded to Christ, and a mighty 
impulse was given to religion. 

On their leaving Dundee, evangelistic services were held 
in various churches, with many tokens of blessing. The number 
of inquirers was very considerable. Many cases were charac- 
terized by deep conviction of sin, and there were several remark- 
able conversions. Of the many hundreds, doubtless some were 
only slightly impressed, while others are bearing about their 
trouble to this day. For, whatever may be the explanation, 
there are always some who very gradually arrive at settled trust 
and peace in Christ. As the result of the awakening, there have 
been large additions to the membership of the churches — in 
some congregations as many as one hundred and upward. 
Great care has been taken in watching over the young Chris- 
tians, and we do not know of any who have gone back. 

On the occasion of the second visit of the evangelists to 
Dundee, in June, when great open-air meetings were held in the 
Barrack Park, Mr. Moody organized and set going special means 
and efforts for reaching young men. With the aid of a large staff 
of earnest Christian men, who volunteered their services at the 
call of Mr. Moody, the Young Men's Association carried out 
the scheme with energy and success. In the course of two 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. IOI 

weeks, upward of one hundred and thirty young men were indi- 
vidually conversed with, almost the whole of whom ultimately 
professed faith in Christ. The work has been carried on 
throughout the year by the Association, as well as by the direct 
instrumentality of the churches, with much prayer and pains, 
and many have been added to the Lord. In the Post and Tele- 
graph offices alone there are some twenty young men and lads 
who have come over to the Lord's side, and are zealous in his 
service. As Andrew found his brother Simon, and brought him 
to Jesus, so in many a pleasing instance, brothers have been 
bringing brothers, and young men have been bringing their com- 
panions, to the Saviour. The seal of God's blessing has been 
clearly stamped on the efforts of the Christian young men. And 
although, to the eye of an observer looking only on the surface, 
nothing may be apparent save the ordinary ripple of Christian 
work, to those who look more closely, a powerful under-current 
of spiritual influence is plainly seen to be at work among the 
youth of our town. In many quarters the tide is fairly turned 
and is setting in steadily in the right direction ; and we 
expect still greater and better things. 

In regard to the work among the children, we have never 
before seen so much precious fruit in the same space of time. 
All the year round there has been great joy in many a family, 
and in many a Sabbath-school. Nor has this joy proved to be 
evanescent or fruitless. To this fact parents and teachers bear 
decided testimony. Running parallel with the work of the 
Holy Ghost, there has been a remarkable dispensation of Prov- 
idence in the removal of many little ones to the spirit-world. 
Beautiful and instructive in many instances have been the last 
solemn scenes of life. To the clear eye of a child's faith there 
is almost no darkness in the valley. To the ear of the little 
Christian, quick to catch the voices from above, the solemn 
sound of Jordan's waters has no terrors. With marvellous 
wisdom and force, these dying children gave forth their testi- 
mony to Jesus and his grace. 

While the immediate results of the work are exceedingly 
precious, the value of its full outcome can scarcely be over- 



102 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

estimated : believers are refreshed and lifted higher — Christian 
workers of every class having renewed their strength, and are 
filled with fresh hope and zeal. The whole body of the living 
Church has made an advance ; her forces are increased, her 
methods are improved. So mighty an impulse cannot fail of 
great and lasting results. But there remains much land to be 
possessed, and from the recent movement there comes to us a 
loud and stirring call to go forward. Thanking God for the 
past, and taking courage, we look into the future with heart of 
good cheer ; for we feel assured, " 'Tis better on before ! " 

But the great meeting in Scotland was in Glasgow. On 
Sunday morning, February 8, 1874, at nine o'clock, Mr. Moody 
addressed 3000 Sabbath-school teachers and Christian workers 
in the City Hall. At half-past five in the evening, an hour 
before the time for services to begin, the hall was crowded in 
every corner. The crowds became so great that it was neces- 
sary to hold separate meetings for men and women, and even 
then no building in Glasgow could be found large enough to 
hold the congregations. The interest among the impenitent 
was beyond precedent. It was another Pentecost. Again and 
again 1000 inquirers remained after the sermon to be pointed 
to Christ 

During the six days beginning with Tuesday of last week, 
the suburb of Hillhead was nine times flooded with crowds hur- 
rying to the Crystal Palace. This unique glass house is the lar- 
gest place of public assembly in Scotland, and can seat about 
four thousand, while a thousand or two more may be crowded 
into it. Tuesday evening was for the young women. Hun- 
dreds appealed in vain for tickets after seven thousand five 
hundred had been distributed, and hundreds who had them 
struggled in vain for admission. The building was crowded up 
to the fainting point, and the meeting was partly spoiled by its 
numerical success. On Wednesday the young men who were 
ticket-holders darkened the Great Western road more than an 
hour before the time of meeting. All comers were welcome on 
Thursday, so long as there was any room. In spite of the 
rain the Palace was filled by seven o'clock, and about one-half 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. IO3 

of the audience seemed to be young men of the middle classes. 
On Friday the noon prayer-meeting was transferred to the Pal- 
ace, which was comfortably filled with the better, or better-off, 
classes. Friday evening's meeting was the most significant of 
the series. Tickets for it were given only to those who, on 
applying for them in person, declared that they believed them- 
selves to have been converted since January ist, and gave their 
names, addresses, and church connection, which information, 
we are told, is to be forwarded to their several pastors. It 
was publicly stated that about three thousand five hundred had 
received tickets on these conditions. As the Americans did 
not arrive till six weeks after New Years, and as the tickets 
were not exclusively for the frequenters of their meetings, it 
was hardly fair in one of our contemporaries to insinuate that 
the object was to number and ticket Moody's converts. The 
children had their turn on Saturday at noon, and the working- 
people at night. On Sunday morning the young women were 
admitted by ticket, and at six o'clock p. m. the Palace was 
filled both inside and outside, as an Irishman would say. While 
several ministers, along with Mr. Sankey, conducted the service 
inside, Mr. Moody addressed a crowd in the open air that filled 
the whole space between the Palace and the gate of the Botanic 
Gardens. Many hundreds did not even get the length of the 
garden gate. The estimates of the vast throng — mere guess- 
work, of course — range from fifteen to thirty thousand. A month 
ago, in the same place and under the same auspices, another 
meeting was held for six and a half hours. We refer to the 
* k Christian Convention," which Dr. Cairns declared to be "un- 
paralleled in the history of the Scotch, perhaps of British 
Christianity." It was reported that about five thousand were 
present, of whom some two thousand were ministers and office- 
bearers from Scotland and the North of England. 

Now these are conspicuous facts, and challenge the respect- 
ful attention and sympathy of all, whatever their religious views 
may be, were it on no higher principle than that of the ancient 
poet, " I am a man, and deem nothing human uninteresting to 
me." Some have already photographed the humorous side of 



104 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

these religious assemblies, and proved what we dare say nobody 
will deny, that some blemishes cleave to them. We are per- 
suaded, however, that many of our readers will not be disinclined 
to look at the higher aspects of "these wondrous gatherings day 
by day ; " for we are not aware that so many large and represent- 
ative" meetings have been drawn together in Glasgow by any 
cause or interest whatever during the past century. Here is a 
novel addition to the " May meetings " — a new General Assem- 
bly, with representatives of almost every class of society and 
every Protestant Church in the land. 

The religious movement, of which these meetings are the 
most outstanding manifestation, dates, so far as it met the pub- 
lic eye from "the week of prayer " in the beginning of January. 
The ministers and office-bearers of almost all the churches then 
met, and formed a committee to arrange for united prayer- 
meetings, and also for the expected visit of the American Evan- 
gelists. The record of what was going on in the North of Eng- 
land, and especially in Edinburgh, had previously inflamed, as 
well as informed, many of the more receptive and sympathetic 
souls. Tokens of growing interest had also been appearing in 
many quarters ; and evangelistic services, such as those con- 
ducted by Mr. Brownlow North and others, had indicated that 
the spiritual thermometer was steadily rising. During the first 
week of January St. George's Church was crowded at noon, 
while the overflow was accommodated in Hope Street Free 
Gaelic Church. After the first fortnight Wellington Street 
United Presbyterian Church was made the centre, where, on 
an average, about a thousand met daily for prayer. In the 
second week of February, Messrs. Moody and Sankey began 
their work among us ; and for the last three months they have 
conducted meetings every day, with a few exceptions. The 
mind experiences a sense of fatigue in detailing their efforts. 
They certainly have not spared themselves. Here is something 
like an average week-day's work : twelve to one o'clock, prayer- 
meeting ; one to two o'clock, conversation with individuals ; 
four to five o'clock, Bible lecture, attended by some twelve or 
fifteen hundred ; seven to half-past eight o'clock, evangelistic 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 105 

meeting, with inquiry meeting at close ; nine to ten o'clock, 
young men's meeting. The tale of some Sabbath-day's work 
is even heavier : nine to ten o'clock, City Hall ; eleven to half- 
past twelve o'clock, a church service ; five to seven o'clock, 
women's ; seven to nine o'clock, men's meetings in City Hall. 
Very few men possess, or at least exercise, such powers of ser- 
vice ; though in addition to the aid from the realm beyond on 
which true workers rely, we doubt not that congenial and suc- 
cessful Christian work may sustain a man beyond any other 
form of human effort. Admission to these meetings was usually 
by ticket, a necessary precaution against perilous overcrowding. 
The animated scenes of last week in the Botanic Gardens prove 
that the interest has not waned, even after three months' use 
and wont had worn off the edge of novelty. 

Accepting this as a genuine Christian work, it may be worth 
while to fix attention on some of its leading characteristics and 
results. We would say here, in passing, that we cannot well 
understand why some educated minds, without granting a hear- 
ing, condemn religious revivals out-and-out on philosophical 
grounds. Viewed on the human side, the philosophy of 
revivals, as they term it, is just a department of the philoso- 
phy of history. In no region has progress been uniformly 
steady and gradual ; but it has been now and then by great 
strides, by fits and starts, and such events as the Germans call 
epoch-making. In all the affairs of men there have been tides 
with full floods. Every channel along which human energies 
pour themselves has had its "freshet." We are familiar with 
revivals in trade, science, literature, arts, and politics. Times 
of refreshing and visitation are not much more frequent in sacred 
than in secular history ; and they indicate the most interesting 
and fruitful periods in both. 

To say that the work betrays some imperfections, and that 
there have been many objectors, is only to say what has been just- 
ly said of every great enterprise, civil and religious. But this 
revival seems to be distinguished from all previous revivals by 
the circumstance that it has been indorsed by something like 
the catholic consent of the churches. From the outset, nearly 



I06 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN, 

all our leading ministers, and not a few of our foremost laymen, 
identified themselves with it. They sat and sang together on 
the pulpit stairs and platform at the daily prayer-meeting. A 
Highland member of the Free Church Presbytery lately pro- 
tested against some of the accompaniments ; and in a court that 
numbers about one hundred and fifty members, there was not 
one to second his lament. One of our most conservative 
churches— the Reformed Presbyterian — gave its unanimous and 
cordial approval the other day at its Synod. 

The unfriendly letter-writers fall into two classes. Some 
sign themselves clergymen, and are much exercised about their 
clerical status. If any in these days will make it their chief 
concern to stand upon their official dignity, they shall find by- 
and-by that they have not much ground to stand upon. No 
evangelists, however, have come among us who have more 
respected the position and influence of the ministers. Mr. 
Moody's first statement at his first meeting in the City Hall was, 
that he met with the Sabbath-school teachers first, because he 
knew that no class would welcome him more heartily, with the 
single exception of the ministers, and that it would be pre- 
sumption in him to lecture them. The other class of unfriendly 
critics write in the interest of intellectualism and culture in its 
" broadest " sense. We suspect that the " sages," whose pro- 
fession is. as one of themselves has said, that they are neither 
great sinners nor great saints, are the enemies of revivals only 
because they are the enemies of the things revived. Would 
they object, for instance, to a revival that gave body and 
popular attractions to the worn-out ideas which they commend 
as the ne plus ultra of attainable truth ? At all events, it will 
not do for them to say that only the women and the children 
have been attracted, for there has been nightly a most impos- 
ing muster of the vigorous manhood of our city, and the City 
Hall has, been often found too small to accommodate the men 
who flocked to some of the special services. 

Mr. Moody is very fortunate in having such a colleague as 
Mr. Sankey. He has enriched evangelistic work by something 
approaching the discovery of a new power. He spoils the 






THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 



I07 



Egyptians of their finest music, and consecrates it to the ser- 
vice of the tabernacle. Music in his hands is, more than it has 
yet been, the handmaid of the Gospel, and the voice of the 
heart. We have seen many stirred and melted by his singing 
before a word had been spoken. Indeed, his singing is just a 
powerful, distinct, and heart- toned way of speaking, that seems 
often to reach the heart by a short cut, when mere speaking 
might lose the road. Most people admit that the work has 
been conducted in a very calm and sober-minded fashion. 
Mr. Moody is credited with a large share of shrewdness and 
common sense. He has not yielded to the temptations that 
powerfully assail his class. He does not give himself out to be 
coddled and petted by well-meaning but injudicious admirers. 
We have not noticed in him that offensive affectation of supe- 
rior piety that provoked a sarcastic acquaintance of ours to say 
that some revivalists seemed to begin their story as Virgil 
makes JEneas begin his, " I am the pious ^Eneas." He keeps 
close to the essentials, and is free from such crotchets as often 
narrow the sphere and destroy the influence of evangelists. It 
is not irritation but balm, that he tries to bring to our religious 
divisions. It must be owned that a premium has not been set 
on the hysterical, the convulsive, and the sensational forms of 
religious excitement. The proverbial weakness for numbers 
has been more apparent in some of his sympathizers than in 
himself. Nor does he make himself responsible for the reality 
of every apparent conversion. He has set his face sternly 
against the religious dissipation in which some of his most inde- 
fatigable hearers rejoice. Novelty-hunters and marvel-mongers 
have not been gratified. Sight-seers have been usually ex- 
cluded from the meetings for inqi#ers, and only "workers" 
have been admitted. That there has been nothing necessarily 
repellant to thoughtful and educated people is proved by the 
number of middle-class young men in sympathy, and by the fair 
proportion of them at the " Converts' Meeting," and also by the 
crowds of genteel people at the quiet afternoon Bible lectures. 
Though he has introduced some novel methods, he has stuck 
to the simple old truths, and his convictions are in entire 



jo8 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

accord with Scottish orthodoxy. His straightforward, business- 
like, slap-dash style gives a fascinating air of reality to all he 
says, while his humor, capital hits, vivid and homely illustra- 
tions, and now and again his deep feeling, seldom fail to rivet 
the attention of his hearers. He has not a roundabout and far- 
off way of handling divine things, and hence many accuse him 
of abruptness, brusqueness, and undue familiarity. The 
Christian life he commends is manly and genial, intense, and 
yet not strained or twisted. These features go far to explain 
what would be called in America his personal magnetism. 

Many ask, " But will it last ? What is to come out of all 
this ? " In Edinburgh, they say that since the Americans left, the 
impression has been steadily increasing, and that it has entered 
influential spheres almost untouched before. The summer 
scatterings will severely test the reality of the movement, but 
perhaps they may also scatter a share of the stimulus along 
both sides of the Clyde. The avowed end from the first has 
be§n that the ordinary congregational channels might be flushed 
and flooded with fresh energy. Such extraordinary efforts are 
most successful, though their success is less apparent when they 
add new power to ordinary agencies. If this be the result, the 
friends of the movement will have no cause for disappointment, 
while its enemies will point to the absence of demonstrative ac- 
companiments as a proof that it has entirely collapsed. 

We may expect that something will be gained from the 
experience of the past months. New methods of conduct- 
ing meetings are already finding favor. Some may be in danger 
of surrendering hastily their individuality, and adopting modes 
of speech and action foreign to them. We may easily ascribe 
too much to the new methods of the American evangelists. 
Their success is due larger} 7 to the fact that they approach the 
Scottish churches on the side on which they are weakest. It 
would seem that Scottish styles are about as popular in America, 
as American styles have proved in Scotland, and for the very 
same reason. At the Evangelical Alliance in New York, the 
speakers from our country were most appreciated, because they 
were strong where Americans felt themselves to be weak. The 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. I09 

career of Dr. Hall in New York is also a notable case in point. 
By all means let us have more elasticity, and a greater readiness 
to adopt and adapt whatever is serviceable. But, after all, new 
methods will not help the churches a great deal. The surprise 
and force of contrast soon wear off; and if men go too far for a 
little in any direction, they take their revenge in abandoning 
what formerly they overpraised. Age and repetition by-and-by 
make the most skillful methods dull and conventional. The 
grand need is far deeper — an inward vitality that makes men 
and churches fresh, vigorous, and fruitful. If, as we are told, 
multitudes in all the churches have been recently quickened, 
new bottles should be made, as well as borrowed, for the new 
wine. 

Some confidently expect a more general co-operation of 
Christians than has hitherto prevailed. Dr. James Hamilton's 
quaint illustration has been so far verified. When the tide is 
out, each shrimp has a little pool of salt water, which is to him 
atl the ocean for the time being. But when the rising ocean 
begins to lip over the margin of his lurking-place, one pool joins 
another, their various tenants meet and mingle, and soon they 
have ocean's boundless fields to roam in. It will be a pity if an 
ebbing tide carries each back to his little narrow pool. 

The relation of this work to the masses has been much 
discussed. Those who blame Mr. Moody for not working 
among them should remember that the tickets for all the meet- 
ings were distributed by the ministers of each district, and that 
in some cases the non-church-going had the preference. Recent 
speeches in presbyteries and synods show that many are anx- 
ious to give a home-mission direction to the movement. Quick- 
ened life in presence of neglected multitudes must approve its 
sincerity by zealous mission work. We hear that the committee 
have already purchased a monster tent, capable of holding two 
thousand, and that it will soon be one of their chief rallying- 
points. The young ladies of the choir, who give invaluable aid, 
are likely, it is said, to continue at their post. This would be 
a very graceful and telling way of bringing together the East 
and West Ends. Hundreds of young ladies with splendid 



IIO MOODY AND SAXKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

voices and an expensive musical education might thus find a 
grateful relief from ennui, and a healthful substitute for other 
excitements. The work among the masses gives them a fine 
opportunity of gaining a recompense for all the trouble and 
cost by which they have become gifted musicians. It will be 
a new power to them, and to many preachers who can appreciate 
such co-operation." 

Says one : It seems to be generally admitted that the young 
men have had the largest share of the blessing. Their case 
from the very first was especially laid upon the hearts and con- 
sciences of the praying people. Our spiritual dead among the 
young men were carried forth like the dead son of the widow 
of Nain. A widowed Church carried them forth with affection- 
ate sorrow ; but not in despair, as Jesus of Nazareth was pass- 
ing by, and His fame was in the land. At His bidding she 
stood still, expecting His aid ; and many of our spiritual dead 
heard His life-giving word, and were restored to the crown and 
joy of the Church. I do not think that I have ever seen better 
religious meetings than some of those young men's meetings." 

Among the laborers at Glasgow was Brownlow North, Esq., 
one of the wonderful men whom God has lately raised up to 
propagate the Gospel outside the ordinary channels. We give 
the following obituary notice : 

The death of this distinguished lay preacher and evangelist 
took place at Tillichewan, Dumbartonshire, on the 9th of No- 
vember. " All that was interesting in his life to the Christian 
community," says the Daily News, "began exactly twenty-one 
years ago in November, 1854, when he was suddenly and over- 
whelmingly arrested by the fear of death when playing at cards. 
He was then forty-four years of age, and his previous life had 
been such as to make him tremble at the prospect of death and 
judgment. His talents were of a very high order, with the athletic 
frame and vast energy he was fitted to take a foremost position 
in any line of life he might have chosen. But, not requiring to 
engage in professional pursuits, he gave himself to what seemed 
to him a life of pleasure, and, in the highest sense of the word, 
became a man of the world. But the cold hand of death, as 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. Ill 

he took it to be, came upon him with a terrible arrest, he earn- 
estly cried for mercy that night, next day he announced to his 
family and friends that for the future he was a changed man, 
and he immediately owned God in his house by daily prayer 
and reading of the Scriptures. After many months he found 
peace of conscience through our Lord Jesus Christ, set himself 
to distribute tracts, and visit the sick and dying in his neigh- 
borhood. Gradually this led to larger meetings, and then to 
preaching in country churches, for which his Oxford studies 
fitted him ; for he had been educated in the Church of England 
but his conscience kept him from taking orders. After two or 
three years he preached in Edinburgh to great crowds, and with 
a very singular power. He had been carefully taught the grand 
Bible truths regarding sin, redemption, and regeneration ; he 
always stated them with great clearness and force. But at that 
time his peculiar power above other preachers lay in his marvel- 
lous unfolding of those two truths — the existence and presence of 
the Living God, and the great eternity that is before every man. 
These truths he did not hold, but was held by them, and was 
borne onward with an irrepressible enthusiasm to communicate 
them to every living man whom his words could reach. 

After three months pf toil and conquest almost unparalleled 
in the history of evangelization, the brethren turned their faces 
to the North, having closed their campaign in the following way : 

The last week has been a most impressive one. The 
interest may be said to have culminated in the assemblages in 
the Kibble palace. On Tuesday evening a fresh meeting of 
women took place there; all classes and ages were largely 
represented, and the bearing of the majority was most devout. 
Although upward of five thousand were accommodated within the 
building, the issue of tickets had been so liberal that nearly two 
thousand more could not gain admittance, and were addressed 
on the green outside by various clergymen. Even among those 
who could hear nothing the greatest good humor prevailed. 

On Wednesday night upward of seven thousand men man- 
aged to find sitting and standing room within the Palace, 
packing exceedingly close. The vast assemblage was most 



112 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

decorous, and obeyed orders implicitly. The full, strong 
singing of the hymns was a sound to be remembered. Num- 
bers of inquirers gathered afterward in the opposite church 
and many could state that there was a good result of that 
night's work. 

Admission to these two meetings had been exclusively by 
ticket. On Thursday night the Palace was open to all ; but 
soon the doors had to be shut, leaving large numbers outside. 
The meetings throughout were conducted in the usual vigor- 
ous style, Mr. Moody being present, and delivering pointed 
addresses, clergymen and laymen relating their own experi- 
ences, and bringing forward instances and reports of the work 
elsewhere. 

On Friday evening came the meeting for those who pro- 
fessed to have been converted during the last few months. 
The tickets for this had only been given to those who placed 
their names and addresses, and the names of their ministers, 
on a register, opened for the purpose ; and of which, they were 
informed, extracts would be forwarded to the clergymen to 
whose churches they belonged, thus to prevent thoughtless 
application for converts' tickets, an ultimate check being es- 
tablished. The Palace was comfortably filled, and the utmost 
order prevailed. In looking over the assemblage, it was 
apparent that the great proportion consisted of young people, 
probably under twenty-five years of age. All were well- 
dressed, clear-eyed people, in the ring of whose voices, when 
singing the opening hymn of praise, more than the common 
sound was heard. It was a glorious sight. Some, no doubt, 
may have joined that throng without due warrant ; but with 
such exceptions, each individual had found his title clearly 
written in the Word of his Lord and Master. One instance 
came within our knowledge of two ladies who, receiving tickets 
under a misapprehension, personally came to deliver them up. 
This was the more honorable, as many would have entered by 
any means in their power, had the register not stood in the 
way. An instance, indeed, occurred of one old lady, who, 
having made up her mind to enter, would take no denial, and 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. II3 

indignantly gave the peculiar reason for insistence, that she 
was well known to the best people of the West End, and to the 
magistrates of the city and county. 

On Saturday came the meeting for children, and in the 
evening another for grown people ; but the greatest gathering 
of the week took place on the Sabbath, when, after a meeting 
in the morning for women who had not obtained admittance on 
the previous Tuesday, the gates were thrown open in the after- 
noon to all comers. Such a crowd as had never been seen in 
these parts before. Many a time during the week the Great 
Western road had been darkened for an hour and a half with 
the living stream, but that night for three hours the stream was 
incessant. Vehicles were not easily to be had on Sunday, so 
nearly all came on foot — all classes, " gentle and simple," 
young and old, blind and lame. The Palace was immediately 
filled, but the afternoon sun was so hot there that soon the 
whole had to turn out on the green ; there a crowd, variously 
estimated at from twenty to thirty thousand, was soon gathered. 
Some apprehension was entertained that mishaps might ensue 
inside or outside the building ; but by the exercise of consider- 
able firmness, and compliance with orders on the part of the 
people, the danger was happily averted. Mr. . Moody ad- 
dressed the crowd, standing on the box of a private carriage, 
and by those within comfortable ear-shot he was considered to 
have surpassed himself in earnestness and force. The sing- 
ing of the sweet hymns by such a strength of voices, sounded 
upon that quiet sunny Sabbath evening from amidst the fresh 
foliage of the gardens, was deeply impressive. Such a sight, 
too, had probably never before been seen within the limits of 
the land. While the main body dispersed, filling all the ap- 
proaches and the public roads, about five thousand christians, 
and those professedly anxious about their own state, gathered 
inside the Palace, and for the last time heard the voice of the 
man for whom such an affection has sprung up in the hearts 
of many. The scene was impressive when an English speaker, 
with rapid and energetic utterance, reminded the assemblage, 
many of whom had the greatest cause to thank God for all he 



114. MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

had lecently done for and by them, that that man (Mr. Moody) 
ought to be constantly remembered in the prayers of all, to 
whom he had proved an instrument of grace. Many were 
much moved. Mr. Moody then took a farewell of the people, 
most of whom he could never hope to see again in the body, and, 
as a final message, declared that many christian friends in that 
place and elsewhere had agreed to unite in prayer that night 
for those then gathered together who might be anxious about 
their own state, conscious they were not saved. The twilight 
was rapidly deepening when he asked those in such a case to 
rise to their feet in sign of their desire. The solemnity of 
feeling was indeed deep, when from four to five hundred 
persons quietly rose all over the house, and as quietly resumed 
their places, actuated evidently by something outside their 
ordinary lives. 

Was not that something like the Spirit of God? We shall, 
perhaps, never know here ; but when from among the ranks of 
those who have felt his power we find men and women quietly 
affirming to friends and strangers the inner change which has 
been wrought in them, and then going out to work for him ; 
when we find this wide-spread, and representatives of all classes 
among the believers, have we any right further to question that 
God has been working, and will continue to work, in men's 
hearts powerfully ? Be the instruments who they may, are they 
not of God's choosing ? Some of his own servants may have 
been kept from joining in the work of promoting the awakening ; 
but now that the first instruments of this general awakening 
have left us, it must be, it is, the sacred duty of all the stated 
ministers in the field to take up the work where it now stands, 
and to carry it on, thankful and joyful in the fresh vigor infused 
into the spiritual life of many, and jealous only for the extension 
of the Master's kingdom." 

The Summer Blessing. 

Another brief visit to Edinburgh and Dundee was followed 
by a tour of great interest in the Scottish Highland country. 
Many of their meetings were held in the open air, and attended 



1\1E REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. II5 

by vast multitudes. As a specimen of what transpired at these 
places we take the account of a visit to Elgin, Aberdeen, and 
Graig Castle. 

It was a strange contrast last Thursday ; at five o'clock, in 
the busy Show at Inverness, at seven in the streets of Elgin 
quiet at all times, but that night altogether passengerless and 
deserted. Surely something unusual was going on — the streets 
abandoned, the house-doors fast, the shops closed. Through 
half a mile of the empty streets ours were the only footsteps that 
echoed on the pavement, and everything was silent and desolate 
as a plague-stricken city ! At last, just on the verge of the 
town, the stillness was broken by the distant sound of a voice, 
and the turn of a lane revealed a sight which time can never 
efface from the memory. There stood the inhabitants, motion- 
less, breathless, plague-stricken indeed — plague-stricken with the 
plague of sin. The sermon was evidently half over, and the 
preacher, with folded arms, leaned over the wooden rail of the 
rude platform. Oh, the sin upon these faces round him ! How 
God was searching the heart that night ! I cannot tell you who 
were there, or how many, or what a good choir there was, or 
what Mr. Sankey sang, or which dignitary prayed. I cannot 
tell you how beautifully the sun was setting, or how fresh the 
background of woods looked, or how azure the sky was. But 
these old men penitent, these drunkards petrified, these strong 
men's tears, these drooping heads of women, these groups of 
gutter children, with their wondering eyes ! Oh, that multitude 
of thirsty ones — what a sight it was ! What could the preacher 
do but preach his best ? And long after the time for stopping 
was it a marvel to hear the persuasive voice still pleading with 
these Christless thousands ? 

One often hears doubts as to the possibility of producing an 
impression in the open air, but there is no mistake this time. 
No, there is no mistaking these long concentric arcs of wistful 
faces curving around the speaker, and these reluctant tears, 
which conscious guilt has wrung from eyes unused to weep. 
Oh, the power of the living Spirit of God ! Oh, the fascination 
of the Gospel of Christ ! Oh, the gladness of the old, old story 



Il6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

of these men and women hurrying graveward ! The hundred- 
and-one nights in Glasgow excepted, never have we seen the 
Holy Spirit's nearness more keenly realized. These thousands 
just hung spell-bound on the speaker's lips. It seemed as if he 
daren't stop, so many hungry ones were there to feed. At 
last he seemed about to close, and the audience strained to 
catch the last solemn words ; when the preacher, casting his 
eye on a little boy, seemed moved with an overpowering desire 
to tell the little ones of a children's Christ. Then followed for 
fifteen minutes more the most beautiful and pathetic children's 
sermon we have ever heard • and then, turning to the weeping 
mothers and fathers, concluded with a last tender appeal, which 
must have sunk far into many a parent's heart. 

Long before the close of the address it was evident to all 
that the Lord of the harvest was going to give us a glorious 
reaping-time that night. We had not, indeed, been ten minutes 
on the ground, when a stranger whispered, in the very middle 
of the address, " Will you come and speak to a woman about 
her soul?" at the same time pointing out a drooping figure 
standing near, with face buried in her shawl. We were not sur- 
prised, therefore, at the great crowds which entered the inquiry- 
meetings — in one church for women, another in a large hall for 
men, while the Christians went apart by themselves to another 
church to pray. The arrangements connected with these after- 
meetings were all beautifully managed, and shortly after nine 
o'clock the whole three were well under way. The women's 
inquiry-meeting was supplied with relays of workers from the 
prayer-meeting. The work was on a very large scale, and the 
workers' report was, that the cases were of a very hopeful char- 
acter. But the work among the men — and this is a splendid 
testimony to the depth and reality of the impressions — was 
even on a larger scale still ; and the sight in the Evangelistic 
Hall, where the men's inquiry-meeting was held, is not soon to 
be forgotten. The whole hall was filled with men, broken up 
into little groups of twos and threes, talking in hushed yet 
earnest voices on the great subject of the one thing needful ; 
while behind, in the committee-room, half a hundred young men 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. U7 

were gathered in prayer for their groping brothers. Many of 
these had themselves but newly decided for Christ, and were 
the fruit of the week's meetings for men, which have been 
blessed by God far above all expectation. 

It is useless to attempt to give even an approximate idea of 
the extent of the blessing which fell upon Elgin on Thursday 
night. The whole of Morayshire has shared it, and a powerful 
hold has been gained in nearly every farm house and village 
throughout the country side. 

At the pressing request of a large number of those who had 
taken part in the evangelistic work set going in Aberdeen 
some months ago, Mr. Moody paid a farewell visit to Aberdeen 
in August, and addressed several meetings, at the same time 
taking occasion to urge on to greater zeal those who were en- 
gaged in the good work. Mr. Sankey has been obliged to go 
south to a more genial temperature to recruit his health, but 
Mr. Moody has wrought on since he left Aberdeen, in different 
districts in the north, almost without ceasing; the same remark- 
able results always attending his labors. 

At seven o'clock, Mr. Moody met with a large body of young 
converts in the Free South Church, and addressed to them a 
few parting words. He spoke on his favorite topic of " con- 
fessing Christ," pleading hard with those who had lately come to 
Christ to come boldly forward and confess Him. 

The Music Hall was crowded to excess long before eight 
o'clock, the hour at which Mr. Moody was announced to give 
an address, the passages, orchestra, and galleries being quite 
packed. " Except a man be born again he cannot enter the 
kingdom of heaven," was the text on which Mr. Moody based 
his discourse. Christ did not say these words to a drunkard, 
to a thief, to a harlot, but to a man who in our days would be 
made a D.D. or an LL.D. 

After referring to the often-doubted possibility of sudden 
conversions by those who could not understand it, even although 
there were living evidences of it before them, he bade the meet- 
ing farewell, with the hope that they would all meet on the 
shores of eternity. 



Il8 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Mr. Moody stayed in the hall conversing with anxious 
inquirers until about ten o'clock, when he drove to a men's 
meeting in Trinity Free Church, which had gathered at nine 
o'clock in the expectation that Mr. Moody would give them a 
farewell address. In the course of the few sentences he spoke 
to them, Mr. Moody said they could have no idea of the influ- 
ence the Aberdeen men's meetings had had in other places he 
had visited. In all of the towns the example of Aberdeen had 
been followed, and large bands of young men were enlisted in 
evangelistic work. 

A number of the }'oung men then retired with Mr. Moody 
into an ante-room, to hold private conversation with him, and 
he continued to converse with them until it was time to go and 
prepare for his journey to Wick by steamer. 

On Sunday afternoon, an open air evangelistic service was 
held on Craig Castle lawn, conducted by Mr. Moody. The 
weather in the early part of the day was very unpropitious, 
heavy showers descending, with brief intervals, until four p.m., 
when the rain ceased, and it continued fair during the evening. 
The wet detained not a few at their homes, no doubt, but most 
of those who came seemed to have determined to be present in 
any case ; and by five o'clock a very large company — especially 
taking into account the thinly-peopled districts from which they 
had gathered — had assembled on the beautiful lawn in front of 
the castle. Every valley and hamlet within a radius of ten 
miles sent its company in gig, cart, or afoot, until at five o'clock 
about 2,500 people stood on the lawn. The gathering resembled 
somewhat one of the Covenanter hill-side meetings, save that 
while the Bibles were still present, the broadswords were alto- 
gether absent ; and the rendezvous, instead of being a wild, 
rocky pass, was a hospitable castle, with its fairy dell and leap- 
ing linn, celebrated in song, and known as one of the loveliest 
spots in Scotland. 

The beauty of the scene seemed specially to move Mr. Moody, 
who referred to it in his discourse, which was one of peculiar 
beauty, power, and pathos. Standing in an open carriage placed 
near a towering tree, the preacher spoke for nearly an hour from 



THE REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 



II 9 



the parable of the marriage feast. A very marked impression 
was produced, and many retired at the close of the service for 
conversation with the preacher and other ministers and friends. 

The Craig gathering of August, 1874, will, we believe, be 
ever memorable to not a few as " the beginning of days " to 
them. 

" I must say," said Dr. H. Bonar, " that I have not seen or 
heard any impropriety or extravagance. I have heard sound 
doctrine, sober, though sometimes fervent and tearful speech^ 
the utterance of full hearts yearning over the wretched, and 
beseeching men to be reconciled to God. That I should 
accord with every statement and fall entirely in with every part 
of their proceeding need not be expected. Yet I will say that 
I have not witnessed anything sensational or repulsive. Du- 
ring the spiritual movement which took place in Scotland about 
thirity years ago, in most of which I had part, I saw more of 
what was extreme, both in statement and proceeding, than I 
have done of late. There was far more of excitement then than 
there is now. The former movements depended far more upon 
vehement appeals, and were carried along more by the sympa- 
thetic current of human feeling than the present. When the 
present movement began, I feared lest there should be a 
repetition of some of the scenes which I had witnessed in 
other days, and I did not hesitate to express my fear to 
brethren. My fears have not been realized. I have been as 
regular in my attendance at the meetings as I could, though I 
will not say that there was nothing which I might not have 
wished, different, yet I have been struck with the exceeding 
calmness at all times — the absence of excitement — the peaceful 
solemnity pervading these immense gatherings of two or three 
thousand people, day by day — the strange stillness that at 
times so overawed us ; and I felt greatly relieved at the 
absence of those audible manifestations of feeling common in 
former days. Rowland Hill was once asked the question, 
* When do you intend to stop ? ' ' Not till we have carried all 
before us.' So say our brethren from Chicago. We say 
Amen. This needy world says Amen. Human wickedness 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



and evil say Amen. Heaven and earth say Amen. The work 
is great and the time is short. But the strength is not of man 
but of God." 

And after more than two years have passed by, the great 
results continue to appear, and the wave of holy influence has 
swept with purifying energy over all that land. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Evangelists in Ireland. 

At his last Bible-reading Mr. Moody said that, in considering 
what should be the subject, he thought, What was it he wanted 
most himself? When nine months ago he came to Scotland, a 
perfect stranger, he felt utterly powerless, and could only have 
been sustained by the Holy Spirit's help; now, when he was 
going to Ireland, he felt just the same ; and if he attempted to 
go there resting upon the grace given for Scotland he should fail. 
He needed a fresh anointing for this new service. 

In this spirit of entire reliance upon the Lord, Mr. Moody con- 
templated the Irish field. God honors those who honor Him. 
We shall see how much this confidence in the Lord was justified 
by the results of efforts in Ireland. 

It would seem that after fourteen months of such toil, they might 
well have taken a little rest. But Ireland was calling them ; and 
bidding farewell to Scotland, they proceeded to Belfast, where 
they held their first meetings on Sunday, Sept. 6, 1874. 

The work had a good commencement in Belfast. Numbers 
thronged and crushed to the churches, so much so that the happy 
plan was adopted of dividing the meetings, and holding gatherings 
for women only at two o'clock, and for men only at eight o'clock. 
Consequently, the large churches are well filled, without any 
unseemly disorder. 

On Friday Mr. Moody addressed both meetings, taking for 
his text, " The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that 
6 121 



122 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

which was lost." With great power and aptitude he proclaimed 
the Lord Jesus as the " Seeker ; " and very touchingly he con- 
vinced the people that He was now seeking each individually, 
seeking to save and to bless them. Mighty Faith, then, appears 
to be the secret of Mr. Moody's power. On the hearers he urges 
decision, now to believe, instant salvation on faith in Jesus only. 
His address was interspersed with telling illustrations, which 
came right home to every heart. He rapidly referred to the par- 
able of the lost sheep and lost piece of silver, and graphically 
narrated the sudden conversion of Zaccheus, unmistakably evi- 
denced by the immediate fruit of the Spirit in his change from an 
extortioner to a restitutor. M*. Sankey's very sweet solos and 
touching hymns, accompanied on the American harmonium, 
seemed to exercise a powerful effect in, as it were, deepening the 
impression of the Word. 

The large church, which holds 2,000, was filled with women of 
all classes ; and the one which holds 1,500 had every seat occu- 
pied with men. They were mostly shopkeepers and mechanics, 
and a large proportion such as do not regularly attend churches. 
After the evening meeting the Christians were invited to remain 
and pray for the speakers to the anxious, and the inquirers were 
directed to side apartments, of which several were filled with 
those whom the Holy Spirit was convincing of sin, and of the 
need of the seeking Saviour. Thus, while such a glorious work 
as has been witnessed in Scotland has not yet taken place 
in Belfast, a sweet and encouraging commencement has been 
made. 

The interest in the meeting in the evening is increasing. From 
fifty to a hundred remain each evening, under anxiety of soul, 
desiring to be pointed to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the 
sin of the world. These are found of all classes, and of all 
shades of moral and religious character — backsliders, notorious 
sinners, moral young men, whose consciences are yet tender, and 
skeptics, whose hearts have been blasted as by an east wind. The 
majority of the inquirers are young men. This is a special, and 
I may add a most hopeful, feature of the work. Many seem 



THE EVANGELISTS IN IRELAND. 



123 



clearly to have embraced the offered gift, and to be rejoicing in 
God. 

On Sabbath Mr. Moody held a meeting for Christian workers 
at the early hour of eight, and notwithstanding the hour the 
place "was crowded, so much so that the overflow filled an adjoin- 
ing room. The address was touching entire consecration to God, 
and more whole-hearted activity in His service. An open-air 
meeting was advertised for half-past two o'clock. It was held 
in an open space, in the midst of the mill-workers of our town. 
Few, if any, of the thousands who attended that meeting will ever 
forget it. Very many, I believe, will remember it with joy in 
the Father's home on high. The attendance was great, estimated 
variously at from ten to twenty thousand! The weather was 
exceedingly favorable. Mr. Sankey sang "Jesus of Nazareth 
passeth by." While he did so I could observe in the glistening 
eye, and the deep sighs of many around where I stood, that it 
was even so. 

As time advances, this gracious work of God seems to extend 
and deepen rapidly. On Tuesday the experiment was tried of 
holding a meeting in the evening exclusively for women, in order 
to reach the case of workers in mills and warehouses. More 
than an hour before the time of meeting, the streets around were 
packed with a dense mass of women; and when the gates were 
opened the place was filled almost in a moment ; and after that, 
with the overflow, three large churches. In all these meetings 
the anxious, willing to be spoken to, were more than could be 
overtaken. We have reached a blessed difficulty — our inability 
to find Christian workers in sufficient number, who are able and 
willing to point the seeking sinner to the Lamb of God. 

The number of strangers who from long distances visit Belfast 
to attend the mid-day meetings is daily increasing. In this way 
the work is already extending, and, I trust, will cover the whole 
island. At its present stage of progress, the most marked fea- 
tures are desire to hear the Word of God, willingness to be spoken 
to upon the state of the soul, frank confession on the part of many 
that they do not savingly knew Jesus ; and, most blessed of all. 



124 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

the equally frank confession on the part of many that they have 
" found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did 
write, Jesus of Nazareth." 

To-day the mid-day meeting is solely for professing Christians 
— the subject, " Assurance." In the evening the meeting is 
intended for such only as are seeking Jesus. Mr. Moody has 
adopted these expedients because of the want of any hall or 
building sufficient to contain the crowds seeking admission. 

Intense calm and deep earnestness characterized all the meet- 
ings. The Holy Spirit was poured out, not with a rushing wind, 
but in a still, small voice. An unusual proportion of fine young 
men waited to be conversed with in the inquiry-rooms. All 
seemed to feel there are but the two classes, the saved and the 
lost. 

Various were the difficulties felt by inquirers, but all such as 
anxious souls have expressed from time to time. Some could 
not understand what " coming to Christ " is ; others had previ- 
ously come, but were staggered because they had not the com- 
plete mastery of sin ; others, again, had not felt a sufficient sense 
of danger. Warm-hearted and experienced Christians listened 
to the difficulties of each and all, and were in most cases enabled 
by the Holy Spirit to speak the suited word and remove the 
stumbling-blocks. 

The open-air meeting was attended by numbers variously esti- 
mated at from 10,000 to 20,000. The fundamental truths of the 
gospel were forcibly put and ably illustrated. Many were bathed 
in tears. Multitudes of careless men and women have been 
awakened. 

Singing bears a most important part in the work of God. 
Deeply effective are Mr. Sankey's solos, not only in touching the 
heart's affections, but in deepening the impressions made by the 
Word. The solo " Too Late," following on Mr. Moody's address 
on the despair of the lost in hell, had the most solemn effect. 
The wail, " Oh ! let us in ; oh ! let us in," and the awful response/ 
"Too late ! too late ! you cannot enter now," are enough to wring 
the inmost soul of everv wavering and undecided sinner. 






THE EVANGELISTS IN IRELAND. 1 25 

A meeting for inquirers only was arranged to be held in the 
evening of the same day, in the Ulster Hall, the largest public 
building we have. Admission to this meeting was strictly lim- 
ited to those professing anxiety to find Jesus. Christian workers 
were admitted by ticket, a method adopted to avoid the mistake 
too often made at such meetings of allowing incompetent or im- 
proper persons to engage in such work. There is not one Chris- 
tian in a hundred fitted for this most delicate and difficult service, 
requiring, as it does, close communion with Jesus, much knowl- 
edge of the human heart, and very clear views of gospel truth, 
and not less a desire to know nothing, and to speak of nothing, 
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 

While all this is true, it is equally true that none are oftener 
blessed in this work than young converts, while their virgin love 
is yet fresh, and their faith clear and simple. There was at the 
meeting for inquirers an attendance of some 500 — this in addition, 
it may be noticed, to many meetings of like kind held in various 
churches at the close of the evening service. It was very touch- 
ing and stimulating, when an opportunity was given by Mr. Moody 
at the close of the meeting, to hear many young men read out, in 
trembling tones, and yet with beaming countenances, some pre- 
vious promise of the Word of God. It seemed like throwing out 
a life-buoy to the struggling ones around, who were swimming for 
life in the waters of death — •like the letting down of a cord to the 
prisoners in the pit in which there is no water. Subsequent 
information in the young men's meeting proved that these truths 
were laid hold of savingly by not a few that Sabbath night in the 
Ulster Hall. 

On Sabbath night we had our first meeting for young men, 
from nine till ten o'clock. To the surprise of all of us, there were 
about 1,500 present. The beginning is a special work, which, I 
trust, will spread as in Glasgow. There had been during the 
spring a very marked work among the young men in Belfast, in 
connection with the Young Men's Christian Association. Now it 
has been deepened and greatly extended. 

During the week the tide of spiritual life seemed to increase 



126 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

each day. The Bible-readings at two o'clock have been full of 
interest, specially stimulating to many whose spiritual life had 
hitherto been very dormant. 

The manifestations of the Spirit's presence and power were 
very marked. In the earlier days of the movement, of the many 
who were deeply convinced of sin, comparatively few seemed to 
come to rest and peace and faith in Jesus. It seemed as if a 
higher tide of the Spirit's power were needed to guide them 
through the quicksands of difficulty, and over the bar of doubt 
and distrust, into the haven of rest. 

This week, we thank God, it is otherwise. We can say with 
thanksgiving concerning many, " They which have believed do 
enter into rest." 

The meeting for the young was very striking. Mr. Moody pre- 
sided. The truth seemed to reach, in the Spirit's power, many 
young hearts. A meeting for boys under fifteen has been organ- 
ized. Some of the cases in it are exceedingly touching, affording, 
I conceive, illustrations of the work of God upon the human 
heart in its simplest and deepest form. This meeting for boys 
assembles every evening now at half-past seven. 

On Monday we had no meeting — rather, one of the most 
remarkable meetings, I shall venture to say, ever held in Belfast. 
Fisherwick Place Church was open for inquirers from two till ten 
o'clock. Mr. Moody and other Christian workers were occupied 
all that time in pointing sinners to the Lamb of God. It is im- 
possible to say how many wounded spirits were conversed with 
during the day. Many very experienced Christians, who have 
seen much of the Lord's work in other years, declare they never 
saw a meeting like it. 

It was a sight which would, I think, have drawn tears of joy 
from any heart, to see upward of 200 young men, the very flower 
of our youth, one after another acknowledging the yoke of Jesus. 
Passing just across the street, I entered May Street Church, 
where more than 1,000 men were assembled to hear the glad 
tidings of great joy. 

In order that as many as possible might have an opportunity 



THE EVANGELISTS IN IRELAND. 127 

of hearing the gospel at these special services, admission on Tues- 
day night was by tickets, given only to such as had not hitherto 
heard Mr. Moody. About 3,000 tickets were given on personal 
application. It was a season to be remembered. The soil, so to 
speak, was virgin ; the attention so marked as to be almost pain- 
ful in its silence ; the presence of God very powerful in the con- 
sciousness of every spiritual mind. The inquirers at the close of 
the meeting were spoken to, as far as they could be overtaken, 
in adjacent churches, to which the men and women were sent 
respectively. 

It is worthy of remark, the great contrast in outward manifes- 
tation between the present work and that of 1859. I have not 
heard of or noticed any physical excitement — not even an outcry, 
much less what were then known as " prostrations." 

Here let me say, it has been most noteworthy that during the 
last weeks, while we have had most inclement weather, every 
Sabbath-day, and at the hour of our great gatherings, it has been 
all that could be desired. 

The number in attendance was fully equal to any preceding 
Sabbath. It may give you some idea of the multitude if I state 
that the field on which the meeting was held contains about six 
acres, and that the people stood densely packed from one end to 
the other. There was profound solemnity. The impression upon 
the hearts of the people by the truth in the power of the Spirit 
was very deep, as the sequel will show. 

Mr. Moody held his usual meeting on Sabbath evening for 
those in deep distress about salvation, and for those who had 
found eternal life during the past weeks through faith in Jesus. 
The meeting was exclusively for men, and admission solely by 
ticket. The hall in which it was held was completely filled. Mr. 
Moody stated in the noon-day prayer-meeting on Monday that, 
in his judgment, it was the most remarkable meeting he has had yet 
in Europe. To God be all the praise ! One after another of 
these young men — and they comprise the very flower of our 
youth — rose, and, with clearness and wonderful felicity of expres- 
sion, in burning words, declared what God had done for his soul. 
At length, at nine o'clock, the meeting was closed. 



128 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Meanwhile another meeting of men was assembling in a church. 
It was already very nearly filled when we heard the tread of a 
large company approaching. It was a phalanx of these redeemed 
youths. They sang the new song. In a spontaneous burst of 
praise they were telling forth the wonders of redeeming love. No 
language can describe the scene. The heavenly echoes of that 
burst of praise, I think, will never be forgotten by any who heard 
it. The meeting that followed, consisting of some two thousand 
men, I need not say, was one of profound interest — Jesus in the 
midst, and the marching glorious. 

During each day of this week, and at every gathering, more 
and more of the presence of the God of salvation has been mani- 
fested. Let me in a sentence or two describe one which, in sober 
language, was most wonderful. Mr. Moody addressed on Mon- 
day evening in Fisherwick Place Church, a meeting of men. At 
the close of his address all who had recently been found by the 
Good Shepherd, and also all who were seeking Him, were 
requested to retire to the adjoining lecture-room. Some six 
hundred men did so. Mr. Moody again sifted them, by request- 
ing that those only who were deeply anxious to be saved should 
adjourn to another room. Probably nearly three hundred did so. 
In breathless stillness Mr. Moody addressed them, very briefly 
stating that he could do no more for them — that they had heard 
the gospel, and that it was for themselves to decide. He called 
upon them to kneel and pray for themselves. They bowed as 
one man, and now here and now there might be heard the short 
cry for mercy — a few earnest words of supplication ■ probably 
about thirty or forty so cried to God one after the other. Surely 
the Lord is in this place ! was the thought which rose in holy 
fear in the hearts of all. 

After a short prayer by Mr. Moody, he addressed them very 
faithfully. He again held forth Christ, and invited all to rise 
who felt that they could there and then accept Jesus. All of that 
large company, save twenty or thirty, stood up, and solemnly 
avouched the Lord to be their God. This wonderful sight cannot 
be described. The glory of it cannot be realized, even by those 



THE EVANGELISTS IN IRELAND. 1 29 

best acquainted with divine things. If there is joy in heaven 
over one sinner that repenteth, what shall we say of the gladness 
in the Father's house when the prodigals in companies of some 
two hundred enter, as it were, at once? 

Thursday, October 8, we had fixed for a gathering of the 
masses in the open air. Many had fears for the weather, but 
much prayer in many places over the three kingdoms was offered 
to God for the success of the meeting. God did for us above 
what we asked. The weather was splendid ; everything as re- 
gards order and decorum all that any of us could wish. It was 
the largest open-air meeting I ever attended. I cannot pretend 
to fix a limit to the numbers. He who counts the stars knew the 
history of each present, and what were the dealings of his heart 
with Christ and the free offer of His salvation. The only regret 
that seemed to be expressed by any was, that the services were 
so short. 

Mr. Moody addressed the vast multitude from the words, " I 
pray thee, have me excused." With graphic felicity, great clear- 
ness, and soul-piercing power, he exposed the miserable pre- 
tences by which .sinners impose upon themselves in refusing a 
present offer of present blessedness. The address seemed to 
strike with convicting power many consciences, and, from many 
instances coming under my own observation at the inquiry-meet- 
ing in Fisherwick Place Church, I have reason to believe in sal- 
vation power. 

The great gathering in the Botanic Gardens on October 8 has 
been our crowning mercy in this season of blessing. We feel as 
if every prayer had been heard and every heart gratified by our 
gracious God. As the days pass, and as tidings reach us from 
the country districts all around, we continually hear of rich 
blessings bestowed and of precious fruits following. Many car- 
ried with them to their homes the spark of renewed life. That 
spark has, in some cases, already burnt into a blaze. We receive 
the good news from many places of great readiness to hear the 
Word of God, and the cry, "Come over and help us," reaches 
us from many quarters. 



13° 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



Our dear American brethren left us on Saturday for Derry. 
Tidings have reached us that a great and effectual door was 
opened unto them in that city. 

Messrs. Moody and Sankey returned from Derry this morning 
(October 15) to hold their final meeting ere passing on to Dub- 
lin. Mr. Moody presided at the noon-day prayer-meeting. The 
subject was, "Lessons from the Life of Jacob." The meeting- 
was one of great interest. The meeting in the evening was held 
in St. Enoch's Church. It was exclusively for sinners under 
anxiety of soul, who professed to be earnestly seeking Jesus. 
Admission was by tickets, and that, moreover, on personal appli- 
cation. 

Readers may judge of the depth of the movement and the 
measure of awakening power upon the souls of men by the Spirit 
of God, when I state that upward of 2,400 persons were so ad- 
mitted ! It was Mr. Moody's last appeal in Belfast to the Christ- 
less. I may not attempt to describe the scene ! He set before 
the anxious, sin-stricken multitude, Jesus in all the glory of His 
sufficiency — in all the attractions of His dying love. He showed 
Him, as with one foot upon the threshold of the heart He sought 
admission. Now in faithful and firm words he warned them of 
the dangers of delay ; and now he gently moved them, in tender- 
ness, as one whom his mother comforteth. At length he ceased 
speaking, that each might hear, in the silence, the voice of Jesus 
pleading directly. And in the awful stillness of that moment 
many of that great company of seeking sinners, I trust, were able 
to say in words expressive of soul-submission, " Speak, Lord, for 
thy servant heareth." 

I think it must have been the most notable meeting in the 
experience of Mr. Moody. I do not at present remember to 
have read of any such meeting, as regards the number of the 
awakened, in modern times. Does it not seem like a return of 
Pentecostal power, when 3,000 were similarly smitten with soul- 
concern? 

The meeting in the evening was for the young converts— for 
all who have reason to believe that they had found Jesus since 



THE EVANGELISTS IN IRELAND. 



131 



Messrs. Moody and Sankey came to Belfast. Admission was 
strictly by ticket. These tickets were only given on personal 
application. About two thousand one hundred and fifty tickets 
were given! What a rich harvest! How soon gathered! The 
result of some five weeks' work ! I have good reason to believe 
that even this number fell very far short of the whole number who 
profess to have received Jesus as the gift of God. 

It was a soul-stirring sight to see that vast multitude, including 
the Christian workers and ministers, numbering more than 3,000. 
It was like the sound of many waters to hear this multitude sing 
the new song. As all stood and sung in one burst of praise — 

" O happy day that fixed my choice 
On Thee, my Saviour and my God," 

the effect was overpowering, filling the soul with a sweet fore- 
taste of the praises of heaven. 

Mr. Moody's last word of comfort and encouragement was 
founded on Rom. xiv. 4, " God is able to make him stand." He 
closed his address by commending all the new-born souls " to 
Him who is able to keep you from falling." Hundreds of men 
not used to a melting mood, with weeping eyes and heaving 
bosoms, heard him say, as he concluded, " Good-night ; we shall 
meet in the morning when the shadows flee away." 

A very touching incident in the service was the singing, by 
Mr. Sankey, of a hymn composed by a dying youth in Belfast, 
" Is there room ? they say there is room ! " 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Glory of God in Dublin. 

The brethren began in this beautiful capital where only about 
40,000, or one-sixth of the population, are Protestant, on the 26th 
of October, and continued there till November 29. Says one : 

"It was not found necessary to preach those sermons which 
are generally used as a preparation for revival, The revival 
commenced immediately. Dublin had been waiting to hear the 
Gospel preached ; and its people, by crowds, when they heard 
it, eagerly pressed into the kingdom of Christ. From all over 
the island, multitudes came up to attend the meetings ; many of 
whom went home happy in the love of Christ. One woman came 
a hundred miles to hear Mr. Moody preach, but was too late to 
obtain admission. The next day, however, she read a report 
of his sermon in a morning paper, and it was blessed to her sal- 
vation. One new convert wrote a letter to a lady friend, and 
this letter was the means of her conversion. Then she read it to 
her mother, who also was led to the Saviour : and afterwards her 
father and her brothers, all by reading the same letter, were 
induced to give their hearts to Christ." 

We have never before seen such sights in Dublin as we have 
seen this last week, night after night, at the Exhibition Palace. 
It is estimated to hold 10,000 persons. Every night it is filled, 
and the attention and silence is wonderful. One feels that the 
Spirit of God is present, and that " a wave of prayer " is contin- 
ually going up to the throne from the Lord's people. 

The committee of management procured the Exhibition Pal- 
132 , 






THE GLORY OF GOD IN DUBLIN. 1 33 

ace for holding these services, the largest and most commodious 
building which has yet, in Europe, been placed at Mr. Moody's 
disposal. On Sunday last, the Christians of Dublin wit- 
nessed a sight to gladden their hearts. It has been estimated 
that, at the first service at four o'clock, from twelve to fifteen thou- 
sand persons were gathered there. Never before was it put to so 
blessed a use. 

Such a sight has never before been witnessed here as may now 
be seen every day — thousands flocking to the prayer-meeting 
and the Bible-meeting, and most of all to the evening services in 
the great Exhibition Palace. It is a sight to fill the heart of the 
child of God with deepest emotion to stand upon the platform 
erected in that building, from which Mr. Moody preaches, and 
to cast one's eye over the vast concourse of people, hanging on 
.the speaker's lips, as in burning words he discourses on life and 
death, heaven and hell, "Jesus and His love," and one cannot 
but ask the question, "What is the magic power which draws 
together those mighty multitudes, and holds them spell-bound ? " 
Is it the worldly rank, or wealth, or learning, or oratory of the 
preacher ? No ; for he is possessed of but little of these (spirit- 
ually, indeed, he is richly endowed with them all). It is the sim- 
ple lifting up of the cross of Christ — the holding forth of the Lord 
Jesus before the eyes of the people in all the glory of His God- 
head, in all the simplicity of His manhood, in all the perfection 
of His nature, for their admiration, for their adoration, and for 
their acceptance. 

For some time, notwithstanding the huge crowds, our brethren 
felt that they were not reaping heavy sheaves as they had done 
elsewhere. But the conviction grows upon us that the " set time " 
to favor us has come. The work is deepening and widening 
every day. In many families with which I am intimately 
acquainted, one or more of the members have hopefully turned 
unto the Lord. I know cases in which I may say the whole fam- 
ily has been brought to seek salvation as the one thing needful. 
It is very observable, too, how previously existing prejudice has 
abated, or entirely disappeared, at least in the case of those who 



134 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

manifest any respect for religion. There are, of course, scoffers 
not a few. But it is truly a matter of astonishment in a city like 
this, that there is so little of open resistance or even of 
ridicule. 

Our Roman Catholic brethren, as a rule, have acted a noble 
part. They have been respectful; and, to a certain extent, sym- 
pathizing. In this week's number of the Nation — an organ at 
once of National (as it is called) and Ultramontane principles — 
an article has appeared entitled " Fair Play ! " which is exceed- 
ingly creditable, and which indicates the advent of a new day in 
Ireland. The editor informs his constituents that " the deadly 
danger of the age comes upon us from the direction of Huxley, 
and Darwin, and Tyndall, rather than from Moody and Sankey. 
Irish Catholics desire to see Protestants deeply imbued with 
religious feeling, rather than tinged with rationalism and infidel- 
ity ; and as long as the religious services of our Protestant neigh- 
bors are honestly directed to quickening religious thought in 
their own bod) T , without offering aggressive or intentional insult 
to us, it is our duty to pay the homage of our respect to their con- 
scientious convictions ; in a word, to do as we would be done by" 
(The italics are the Nation's.) It would surely be a bright and 
blessed day for our country, if this spirit of mutual respect and 
toleration were everywhere honestly acted out amongst us. Mr. 
Moody never makes controversial reference to others. His suc- 
cess in attracting the favorable attention of our brethren of a 
different faith has been unexampled in the history of our 
city. 

One very marked feature in the movement is the number of 
men that are influenced. Many people have remarked the 
large proportion of them that are inquiring. 

A few nights ago an old gentleman, more than seventy years 
of age, threw himself down on his knees and sobbed like a child. 
He said, " I was utterly careless about my soul till last night, but 
I have been so unhappy since, I could not sleep. I seemed to hear 
ringing in my ears, ' Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,' and if I don't 
get saved now, I never shall be." 






THE GLORY OF GOD IN DUBLIN. 



135 



Already the influence of this work has begun to tell upon the 
most remote districts of the country. Parties of thirty, fifty, 
sixty, etc., are being organized from the most distant parts to 
Dublin. Many of these carry back with them much blessing. 
We hear of the young converts witnessing for Christ fearlessly in 
the trains on their way home from their meetings. " The Lord 
hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." But we ex- 
pect greater things still. I am fully confident, from all the indi- 
cations I see, that next week will be likely greatly to surpass 
the previous delightful weeks we have had. The memory of 
these blessed meetings in the Metropolitan Hall and the Exhibi- 
tion building, will long, yea, will ever be fragrant in our hearts. 
I do not think we had ever such an antepast of heaven. 

The Public Breakfast given to Messrs. Moody and Sankey 
yesterday morning, was, in every way, a wonderful meeting. I 
heard nearly all to whom I spoke on the subject, say it was the 
happiest reunion they ever attended. It was a truly catholic 
gathering. Eminent men among us, under the influence of 
deep emotion, bore testimony to the spiritual good they had 
received at the meetings. Ministers testified of the instruction 
and quickening that had come to them. 

No men — ministers, evangelists or others — ever before brought 
a more interested assembly around them in Dublin than these 
honored servants of the Lord did yesterday morning in the Shel- 
bourne Hotel. And yet it is not Messrs. Moody and Sankey, 
but the Christ they preach and sing. It is Christ lifted up that 
draws all men unto Him. Oh that we might all learn that we 
have here the true and only uniting power for Ireland ! 

I can confidently say that the work here intensifies and spreads 
every day, I might say every hour. Some of our more timid and 
cautious friends who had almost never come in contact with a 
great religious awakening, were fearful, while we were making our 
preliminary arrangements, that it would be next to impossible to 
keep up the interest of the people for a month or more ; but the 
fact is, the interest was never nearly so great as it is this moment ; 
and as the time of our brethren's departure draws near, the 



136 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

eagerness to hear their every word and catch their every song is 
something wonderful to see. As I remarked before, this eager- 
ness does not now proceed from curiosity. 

At all the meetings yesterday, the attendance was enormous. 
It is a very healthful sign of this work, that the daily prayer-meet- 
ing continues to be so largely attended, although neither Mr. 
Moody nor Mr. Sankey usually takes a very prominent part in it. 
The requests for prayer have become so numerous, that it has been 
found impossible to read even a brief classification of them. The 
letters have for some days been " spread before the Lord," after 
the example of good King Hezekiah, the meeting uniting in 
silent entreaty for the special cases sent in. 

Hundreds were obliged yesterday to go away disappointed in 
their efforts to get into the Bible-reading in the Metropolitan Hall. 
Mr. Moody reserved his best wine to the last. A more suggestive 
Bible-lecture it was never our privilege to hear. We had a com- 
pendium of some half a dozen Bible-readings. The great bulk 
of the people, ministers included, were taking notes. It is given 
to few preachers to have so many eager reporters. Many a good 
sermon will be got out of yesterday's addresses. One minister 
remarked that it was as good as an addition of many a good book 
to his library. It is calculated that in the evening there were not 
less than 12,000 persons assembled in the Exhibition building. 
There is not a Sabbath service in any congregation in Britain in 
which there is a greater solemnity and decorum than there was in 
that vast assembly. The sight from the platform of these earnest, 
and, in many cases, awe-stricken thousands, is one that it will be 
impossible for us ever to forget. Some one remarked to me, a 
day or two ago, how significant it was that during the severe 
weather of last week, even a cough was scarcely heard in that 
great-crowded glass building. When Mr. Sankey sings the 
silence is sometimes even oppressive. 

We are now engaged in giving out tickets for the Thanksgiving 
meeting to be held on Wednesday evening, the last night Mr. 
Moody has promised to be with us. The tickets are given only 
to those who profess to have been brought to Christ during the 



THE GLORY OF GOD IN DUBLIN. 137 

special services. We are very careful in giving these tickets, 
though I doubt not there may be many stony-ground hearers. 

We have had the help in this work of some of the most experi- 
enced ministers of the gospel in our city ; and the general impres- 
sion made on the minds of the brethren who have taken part in it, 
is of deep and intense gratitude for the many indubitable tokens 
of the presence and power of the regenerating Spirit of God. 
About a thousand tickets have been already given out ; but many 
of the converts have not yet applied. 

Arrangements have been made for the carrying on of special 
prayer and evangelistic meetings, after our brethren have left. 
Leading ministers of all our evangelical churches have thrown 
themselves heartily into these arrangements. We have felt that 
it is a good thing — good for ourselves, and good for that cause 
which, with all our imperfections, is dearer to us than life — for 
brethren to dwell together, and work together, in unity. 

The labors of the Evangelists closed with a three days' con- 
vention, which was attended by 800 ministers, from all parts of 
Ireland, besides thousands of the general public. The first day 
was devoted to discussions on the following topics : " Praise 
and Thanksgiving," " How are the masses to be reached ? " 
" What can be done to promote the Lord's work throughout Ire- 
land ? " etc. The second day was signalized by a gathering of 
over 2,000 converts, to whom Mr. Moody addressed loving coun- 
sels, and on the third day there was another gathering of the min- 
isters in Exhibition Palace. And thus terminated one of the 
most remarkable gatherings ever held in Dublin. Mutual love 
and courtesy marked all the proceedings. Strangers could not 
tell to what body of Christians many of the speakers belonged. 

The labors of the evangelists in Ireland were ended, and on 
Sunday, the 29th of November, at Manchester, they began their 
new work in England. 

The happy visit of Messrs. Moody and Sankey to Dublin is 
now a thing of the past. These men of God are gone from us, 
but the work remains. That work consists : 

1. In a great general awakening throughout Dublin and its 



I38 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

neighborhood. This is a fact which is patent to all, and cannot 
be gainsayed or denied. It is a fact that from 12,000 to 20,000 
persons have been attracted to the Exhibition Palace every Sun- 
day afternoon since the work began ; that the attendance at the 
services held each evening in the same place, beginning with 
some 5,000 people, increased each evening till it became as great 
as on the Sundays ; and this notwithstanding an audience of 
from 2,000 to 2,500 had been in daily attendance at the noon 
prayer-meeting in the Metropolitan Hall, and on three days in 
each week at the Bible-readings at two o'clock in the same place. 
What has been the great attractive power which has drawn 
together such vast multitudes? Thank God, it was the simple 
statement of gospel truth — the old, old story of Jesus and His 
love, plainly and lovingly told. 

2. The bringing in of some 3,000 converts to the fold of Christ. 
Nearly 2,000 tickets were issued to those who professed to have 
found the Lord Jesus as their Saviour since these services began. 
To these must be added the many hundreds who came up from 
all parts of the country to attend the services, and who found "joy 
and peace in believing," some of whom are known to myself, 
besides all those who are still day by day being added to the Lord. 

3. The quickening and refreshing of many hundreds of ministers 
in connection with the convention held this week. It was a happy 
thought to bring so many ministers of the various evangelical 
denominations together at this time. It afforded them an oppor- 
tunity of seeing with their own eyes the reality of this great work 
of God which is going on around us, getting their own hearts 
warmed up afresh, and thus of becoming, when they return home, 
more than ever centres of spiritual light and heat in their own 
parishes and districts. 

Says a well-informed writer: "The finances of the Dublin 
revival are worthy of special attention. Some days before 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey arrived, three or four gentlemen met 
at the office of Mr. David Drummond ; and, after consultation 
and prayer, decided to send out a circular, saying that the Amer- 
ican evangelists were coming ; that the Great Exhibition Palace 



THE GLORY OF GOD IN DUBLIN. 



139 



had been engaged for them ; and tha£ money would be wanted to 
meet the large expenses attendant upon the services. It was 
determined to ask for the sum of ^"1,500; and circulars for this 
purpose were sent out to five or six thousand of the leading citi- 
zens of Dublin. Only two instances of personal solicitation are 
mentioned ; but the money came in so fast, that Mr. Dfummond, 
who was the treasurer, was obliged to employ a clerk to keep the 
record. Old ladies would come in Bath-chairs to bring half a 
crown. People in high life came in carriages, bringing cheques 
or gold. Even the poor desired to have some share in the work, 
and gave their pennies and half-pence. By some means the sub- 
scription became known to the prisoners in a certain jail in the 
south of Ireland ; and they, regretting their inability to be 
present, sent their good wishes, and a little collection which had 
been raised among them, to the amount of twenty-five shillings. 
From Protestants and Papists, masters and servants, the contri- 
butions poured in. No sum larger than ^"30 was received. A 
large part of the money was in silver and copper ; but the full 
amount required was raised. 

" Having now come so near to the question of the support of 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey, the readers of this work will natu- 
rally desire to know something on that interesting topic. Here 
let it be said, once for all, that these brethren do not work for 
pay. They have never sought an invitation ; never stipulated for 
any sum of money to be given them, either for their services or 
expenses. In every instance, Mr. Moody determined the ques- 
tion of going to, or passing by, a place, under the direction, as he 
believed, of the Spirit of God. The committees which invited 
him have held the matter of finance entirely in their own hands. 
They have raised the money as they pleased, and given him such 
sums as they judged suitable; these he has shared with Mr. San- 
key ; and thus they have labored together, taking what God sent 
them — which in many instances has been very little, and in no 
case very much. At Dublin the committee consulted together, 
and determined to give Mr. Moody a sum of money which, they 
afterwards were glad to learn, was in excess of what he had 



140 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



received hitherto ; but even upon the proportion of this generous 
gift, the American evangelists will never become rich out of their 
present employment. Still, in the secular press, and in the gossip 
of the streets and offices, these men are accused, by those who 
know nothing of them, of mercenary motives in their great work 
for Christ; 

" Only a little while ago a certain newspaper suggested that they 
were an advance-guard sent over by Barnum ; and that the adver- 
tising scheme, no doubt, would presently appear. Another equally 
discerning party had heard of Mr. Moody's little device for setting 
children to study the Bible, which he calls ' the Gospel clock/ It 
consists of the grouping of twelve texts of Scripture in a circle, 
containing respectively the same number of words as those which 
mark the hours upon a dial. A great many of these Gospel clock- 
faces have been arranged by the little people to their no small 
profit and delight. But the individual referred to saw in it a sug- 
gestion of a different character. 'I have it at last,' said he, 
• Moody is a clock-maker in America, and this is the beginning 
of a system of advertising, by which he means to sell his wares.' 

"In like manner Mr. Sankeyhas been assailed as an agent for 
the sale of that peculiar make of harmoniums which he uses to 
accompany his singing. But it is scarcely needful to say that no 
such charge can be properly made against him." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Harvest in England. 

They were no longer the strangers who first struggled for a 
hearing in York, but brethren " beloved and longed for " by thou- 
sands who had not yet seen their faces in the flesh. Preparations 
at Manchester, whither they first went, were intelligently made 
for the successful conduct of their work, and we soon hear the 
tidings through the press that " Manchester is now on fire." 

The most difficult of all English cities, perhaps, to be set on 
fire by anything but politics, is now fairly ablaze, and the flames 
are breaking out in all directions. 

Free Trade Hall, within whose walls scenes of no common 
interest and excitement have often been witnessed, presented a 
spectacle such as those who beheld it will not easily forget. Dr. 
McKerrow assured me that he had seen no such sight, even in 
the most excited political times, during the forty-seven years of 
his life in Manchester, as that which he saw there on Sunday 
afternoon. 

The building was densely crowded. Not an inch of standing- 
room was unoccupied. Long before the appointed hour, hun- 
dreds found it impossible to gain admission. And Mr. Moody 
—in what terms shall I describe his address ? Theological critics 
might have said there was nothing in it ; but only eternity will 
reveal how much there came out of it. I should not be surprised 
if hundreds of conversions should result from that single mighty 
appeal. Taking for his text the first question addressed to them, 

141 



I42 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

" Where art thou ? " he brought it home to the bosom of every 
hearer with a power and pathos that were simply irresistible. 
Having referred to the case of a young man who had cried out in 
the inquiry- room on Friday night, "Oh, mother, I am coming! " 
the young man himself sprang to his feet, and exclaimed in tones 
of impassioned earnestness, " That was me ! " The effect was 
electrical. Not an eye but was suffused with tears. The whole 
vast assembly was impressed with a profound sense of the pres- 
ence and power of the Holy Ghost. 

The meeting for young men in the evening was equally won- 
derful, no fewer than seventy-one having remained behind as 
anxious inquirers, not a few of whom went home rejoicing in the 
peace of God that passeth understanding. 

There is only one sentiment, I feel convinced, in the hearts of 
all God's children in this vast community in regard to this great 
work, and that is, a sentiment of devout thankfulness to our 
heavenly Father that He has sent among us two such men, full 
of faith and power, and yet eminent for humility and lowliness of 
mind. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we 
are glad." 

The meetings of December n, that memorable Lord's day, 
gave a tone of solemnity and a character of power to all the meet- 
ings of the week. The tide rose steadily day by day, until it 
became full, overflowing the bank in all directions — a very spring- 
tide of blessing; and only eternity will reveal how many immor- 
tals are now launching out upon its waters in the bark of a simple 
trust in the Son of God. 

The evenings of Monday and Tuesday in the Free Trade Hall 
will long be remembered by the thousands who were present. 
Mr. Moody delivered his famous discourses on Heaven. Much 
as we have read and heard of the fervor and unction that charac- 
terize them, we were not prepared to find these apostolic qualities 
in so superlative a degree as that which marked them on this | 
occasion. The second was especially interesting and delightful' 
treating as it did of the society and the treasure of heaven ; and j 
the contrast drawn by the preacher between these and the trea- 



THE HARVEST IN ENGLAND. 



143 



sures and society of this world, seemed to strike the minds of the 
vast audience with all the force of a revelation, constraining many 
a heart, doubtless, to resolve to seek henceforward " the things 
that are above." The appeal with which it closed, for power 
and pathos, exceeded, in our judgment, anything that he himself 
has uttered. 

And then the discourse on Hell, on the evening of Wednesday, 
coming as it did immediately after the addresses on Heaven, was 
certainly one of the most solemn and impressive utterances that 
have been heard within those walls. Every eye was riveted on 
the speaker. The projected shadow of the great white throne 
seemed to fall and rest upon every countenance. Even the fer- 
vent exclamations in which some of our friends indulge at reli- 
gious meetings, and which had been just a little too fervent the 

: night previous, were hushed, and scarcely a sound broke the 

I awful stillness with which, for nearly an hour, the people listened 

i to the oft-repeated charge, like so many claps of thunder, " Son, 
remember ! " In bygone revivals such heart-smiting, conscience- 

: stirring, soul-firing words as those which poured from the preach- 
er's lips would have caused hundreds to start to their feet and 

f cry out with frenzy, " God be merciful to me a sinner ! " But in 
harmony with the prevailing character of this awakening, the 

[conviction of sin produced on that occasion seemed to be too 
deep and too sacred to find expression in mere excited exclama- 
tions or physical prostrations, and were known only to Him who 

■ seeth in secret ! God was in the midst of us, of a truth. The 
Holy Spirit came, as of old, with the force, as of a rushing mighty 
wind, and filled all the place where we were sitting. The powers 
of the world to come were brought nigh to every conscience in a 
manner never to be forgotten. We seemed to be looking across 
the gulf that divides time from eternity, and beholding the tor- 
ments of the self-destroyed victims of a broken law and a rejected 
gospel. No wonder that the inquiry-room was full that night of 
'nquirers of the most anxious description, and that the after-meet- 
ing, over which we presided, was larger and more earnest than 
any that has yet taken place. Doubtless the heavens blossomed 



144 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

into song overhead, and the angels of God rejoiced over many 
souls turning from sin and Satan unto the living God ! 

On Saturday evening the Oxford Hall presented a spectacle 
which those who witnessed it will not soon forget. In response 
to Mr. Moody's invitation, some 3,000 persons, professedly Chris- 
tians, and chiefly young men, assembled to hear him counsel 
them regarding Christian work. The heartiness with which they 
ever and anon broke forth into song before he made his appear- 
ance, and the manliness with which they sang, especially " Dare 
to be a Daniel," indicated that they were ready to receive with 
gladness the word of command from the lips of the great Organ- 
izer. He spoke briefly but effectively. He told of the work done 
by the young converts elsewhere, especially in Glasgow, in con- 
nection with the evangelization of the masses. He made partic- 
ular reference to the noble army of volunteers that rose to their 
feet in that city when the appeal was made to them, "Who will 
work for Jesus ? " And then, when he made the same appeal to 
themselves, calling upon all who were ready to work for the Mas- 
ter to stand up, almost the entire body of young men — a grand 
and inspiring sight — sprang to their feet. One could not help 
exclaiming, "God be thanked! there's hope for our city! Man- 
chester, with such a host, may yet be won for Christ ! " By a 
special arrangement, as it seemed, of Providence, Mr. Reginald 
Radcliffe was present, and immediately put before them a definite 
plan for making a great gospel attack, so to speak, upon the city. 
He suggested that an ordinance map of Manchester should be 
cut into small squares, each representing a district, and that two 
or three young persons should undertake to carry the gospel, in 
the shape of a tract or otherwise, to every house, great and small, 
within that district, so that no single dwelling should be omitted. 
The plan appeared to approve itself to the judgment of the 
meeting, all the more so that he told us 'how successfully he had 
carried out a similar one in Edinburgh and Liverpool in years 
gone by. The Lord grant it abundant success ! 

The workers'' meeting was the largest since Messrs. Moody 
and Sankey came to Manchester. The address was most power- 



THE HARVEST IN ENGLAND. 



145 



ful. A forcible appeal was made to Sabbath-school teachers in 
this city ; but one conviction seemed to exist in the minds of the 
vast audience of 5,000, " Let us arise and work." 

Had Mr. Moody come to deliver only this address, his mission 
had not been in vain. In the afternoon from 15,000 to 17,000 
struggled for admission. Various meetings had to be held in the 
Free Trade Hall, Oxford Hall, and Cavendish Chapel; all 
crowded as they never have been before. As many more halls 
of the same size could have been filled. From twenty to thirty 
meetings were held in the streets of the neighborhood, where 
addresses were delivered by ministers and laymen. At every 
meeting the Lord was present to heal. Anxious inquirers were 
very numerous. Great numbers professed to find the Saviour. 

The meeting for young men in Oxford Hall, at eight, was also 
crowded to excess, hundreds being unable to obtain admission. 
Mr. Moody spoke as if tongues of fire hovered over his head. 

The spiritual movement in this city is now a fact — a solemn 
but joyful fact — which must be observed even by those who take 
their stand outside as mere spectators, with marvel ; and, indeed, 
skeptics marvel. 

" It is a most strange phenomenon," said one to me, who is a 
clever journalist, "to see such multitudes brought together by 
mere curiosity, and this curiosity increasing day by day, when 
there is nothing to be seen or heard that is fitted to excite curi- 
osity." So it is. A striking feature of these meetings is the 
absence of all excitement. The thousands who usually flock to 
our hall, when once seated, are impressively still ; it is a grand, 
encouraging sight to watch this sea of human faces eagerly wait- 
ing for the word of life. Mr. Moody puts no effort forward to 
attract ; he stands before his audience quiet ; he never introduces 
himself; you see at once he wants you to listen to his message. 
His words are most simple and earnest ; there is nothing elabo- 
rate, or strange, or new, not even his illustrations. But as his 
words fall from his lips, hearts are moved. If you watch the 
audience you can see faces changing expression ; you can read 
there shame, contrition, confession, hope, faith, peace — as the 
7 



I46 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. " 

case may be. The truth comes home ! There is power ! No 
man could do it ! It is God's power 1 It is the Lord's doing ! 

Christians have been drawn together as we have not known 
here before ; and though there remains yet much that is to be 
desired, still we are encouraged and hope for greater things ; we 
know that we cannot make unity by arrangements and efforts ; 
the Lord's laborers have learned to realize more than ever that 
the work is God's, not ours ; that He works mightily with His 
power, if we do not hinder, and are willing, as Mr. Moody puts it, 
to be sirriple channels, just as those dusty, rusty, crooked-looking 
gas-pipes. And many who have been hitherto too ignorant 
or indifferent, or too cowardly to work, have now come forward 
and said, " Here am I ; send me." 

A dear friend from Liverpool, who is almost daily with us, has 
used the opportunity and organized a scheme by which every 
house in this city shall be visited. I will only add, that hundreds 
of our visitors are already busy visiting and speaking and singing 
in the sick chambers of isolated sufferers, in the desolate homes 
of the godless, of Him who came to seek and to save that which 
was lost. The reports of the visitors are most cheering. 

The noon prayer-meeting in the Free Trade Hall has steadily 
kept up its numbers. The large proportion of men who find time 
in this commercial centre to consecrate an hour to prayer at mid- 
day, is a striking feature of the meeting. The first twenty minutes 
are generally spent in reading the requests for prayer, and pre- 
senting them in silent and audible supplication to God ; a large 
proportion of these requests bear upon intemperance. This 
noon gathering affords an opportunity for Christian workers 
from all parts to give tidings of the progress of the work of God. 
The other day Mr. Moody read a telegram from the venerable 
"Mr. Somerville, who has gone on an evangelistic mission to Cal- 
cutta, reporting the conversion of thirty-one persons at a special 
service held by him in the theatre there on the previous evening. 
Last Monday, the Rev. G. Stuart, of Glasgow, told how solidly 
the work is continuing in that town, and how it is in contempla- 
tion to purchase Ewing Place Church for £20,000, for evan- 



THE HARVEST IN ENGLAND. 147 

gelistic purposes, growing out of Messrs. Moody and Sankey's 
labors. He also related several remarkable instances of answers 
to the prayers offered at the Glasgow noon prayer-meeting. On 
Tuesday, the Rev. A. McLaren followed up Mr. Moody's address 
by a brief and telling speech, in the course of which he strongly 
urged prayer for the consolidation of the growing union now 
observable among the churches of Manchester. 

The meetings for Christian workers in the Free Trade Hall 
on Sunday mornings at eight o'clock, have imparted a great 
stimulus to Christian labor. Never shall we forget Mr. Moody's 
address on "Daniel!" last Sunday morning. The hall was 
crowded to excess ; between 5,000 and 6,000 persons brought 
together at that early hour, in the depth of winter, testifies to the 
power with which the awakening has laid hold of the city. The 
character of Daniel was exhibited with graphic skill ; the varied 
scenes of the first six chapters of the book were vividly portrayed ; 
every actor in the story became instinct with life and humor, and 
the lessons were rapidly and sharply drawn in a way not likely to 
•be forgotten. The scene of Belshazzar's feast was powerfully 
sketched ; and while Daniel read out the mysterious writing on 
the wall — read it easily, for it was " his Father's handwriting " — 
the breathless silence which fell upon the vast throng in the hall 
told with what reality the scene was presented before them. The 
whole story involved a running satire upon the yielding temper 
of the present day ; and the address constituted a powerful 
appeal to young men which we have never known surpassed. At 
the close Mr. Sankey sung " Standing by a purpose true," and 
the audience joined with unmistakable enthusiasm in the chorus, 
"Dare to be a Daniel." 

The gospel-meetings on Sunday afternoons and week even- 
ings are still as thronged as ever. The numbers at the inquiry- 
. meetings increase ; many have been led to the Saviour. So 
permeated with Bible truth is the teaching given in Mr. Moody's 
addresses, that inquirers perceive the way of salvation with 
unusual quickness ; Christ is presented to them, and they simply 
and immediately close with Him. Last Sunday afternoon Mr. 



I48 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Moody addressed the great assembly in the Free Trade Hall, from 
the seven following " Beholds ": " Behold, I was shapen in iniqui- 
ty "; "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy"; "Behold 
the Lamb of God "; " Behold, now is the accepted time "; " Be- 
hold, now is the day of salvation "j "Behold, I stand at the door 
and knock"; "Behold, he prayeth." It was an address of 
thrilling solemnity. The crowded meeting which, at the time, 
filled the Oxford Hall, was addressed by the Rev. J. Rawlinson 
and W. Hubbard. It may interest readers to learn that a band 
of workers has been organized to visit every house in Manchester 
and Salford, with a card bearing on one side the hymn, "Jesus 
of Nazareth passeth by," and on the other the following address 
by Mr. Moody : " ' Behold, I stand at the door and knock : if any 
man hear my voice and open the door, I w T ill come in to him, and 
sup with him, and he with me ' (Rev. iii. 20). A woman in Glas- 
gow got into difficulties. Her rent was due, but she had no 
money for the landlord, and she knew very well that he would turn 
her out if she did not satisfy his claim. In despair she knew not 
what to do. A Christian man heard of her distress, and came to 
her door with money to help her. He knocked, but although he 
thought he could hear some one inside, yet the door was not 
opened. He knocked again, but still there was no response. 
The third time he knocked, but that door still remained locked 
and barred against him ! 

" Some time after he met this woman in the streets, and told 
her how he had gone to her house to pay her rent, but could not 
get in. 'Oh, sir!' she exclaimed, 'was that you? Why, I 
thought it was the landlord, and I was afraid to open the door.' 

" Dear friends ! Christ is knocking at the door of your heart. 
He has knocked many times already, and now He knocks again 
by this message. He is your best Friend, although, like that 
woman, perhaps you think He comes with the stern voice of 
justice to demand from you the payment of your great sin-debt. 
If so, you are sadly mistaken. He comes not to deinand, but to 
give I < The gift of God is eternal life.' He knows you can never 
pay the great debt you owe to God. He knows that if that debt 



THE HARVEST IN ENGLAND. 149 

is not paid for you, you are forever lost ! He loves you, though 
He hates your sins ; and in order that you might be saved, He 
laid down His life a sacrifice for the guilty. And now He comes ! 
bringing the gift of salvation to the door of your hearts. Will you 
receive the gift '? D. L. Moody." 

It has been resolved to purchase the museum in Peter Street 
for the Young Men's Christian Association, for $150,000, which 
has been raised. The building will then become the home of the 
noon prayer-meeting, and the centre of the united Christian effort 
which now appears to be fairly inaugurated in Manchester. 

A few yards from the Free Trade Hall, on the same side of the 
.street, stands a dingy-looking old public building. It was for- 
merly used as a natural-history museum, but since the erection 
of the magnificent Owen's College, and the consequent trans- 
ference of its contents, the old museum has been unused. The 
Young Men's Christian Association have long been looking for 
some suitable building as a centre for their operations in this 
important city, with its 70,000 young men ; and now the neces- 
sity is felt for a place to carry on the daily prayer-meeting, and 
other united evangelistic efforts, after Messrs. Moody and Sankey 
have left ; so it has been decided to purchase the old museum 
building, and use it for these purposes. It was secured accord- 
ingly on Monday last ; and in a couple of days, part of the build- 
ing, giving accommodation to about 500 persons, was seated, 
lighted with gas, and heated ; so that on Wednesday night Mr. 
Moody used it as an inquiry-room, after the meeting in the 
Free Trade Hall, and we had the joy of seeing it full of anxious 
souls. This was a blessed consecration of the building for a 
higher and nobler object than ever it had been used for before. 

The scheme for the visitation of every house in Manchester is 
working well, and with the happiest results. The following is 
the plan adopted : A Christian architect, who has entered most 
heartily into this service, has cut up the large scale Ordinance 
Map of Manchester into about fifty districts, each of which is 
under the charge of a superintendent, who is supplied with a 



I50 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

sufficient number of visitors to reach every house within the limits 
of his district. A leaflet containing the hymn " Jesus of Nazareth 
passeth by/' and a short address by Mr. Moody is left at each 
house ; but it is understood by the visitors that this paper is only to 
be used as an introduction, for the purpose of gaining admission 
to the houses, so as to have personal conversation about eternal 
things with each individual, as far as possible. Some of the visitors 
have already given in most cheering reports of the marvelous 
way in which the hearts of the people seemed open to receive 
their visits, showing that the Lord is in this movement, and is 
preparing many hearts for the reception of His own blessed 
message of salvation. 

The meetings came to an end the last day of 1874. They have 
been blessed to vast numbers. In the inquiry-room, I have 
met with many who stated that they had never had the way of 
salvation so plainly put before them as by Mr. Moody. In not a 
few instances, too, Mr. Sankey's beautiful and touching solos, 
especially "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by," "Almost persuaded," 
and "Prodigal child," have proved to be arrows of conviction, 
entering the heart in the most unexpected manner, and leading 
to conversion. And what shall I more say ? for the time would 
fail me to tell of all the blessed fruits, already apparent, of the 
extraordinary efforts of these dear men of God. Suffice it to 
say, in a sentence, that all classes of the community — old and 
young, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, ministers and 
laymen, masters and servants, teachers and scholars — have 
received a large blessing from the religious services conducted 
by the American brethren, and are deeply sensible, I trust, of 
the mighty debt of gratitude under which they have been laid. 
The Lord bless them, and make them blessings, wherever they 
go! 

The closing week has been the most joyful of all. The tide 
of blessing, which has been steadily rising, has this week reached 
its flood ; the earnestness of the preacher and the eagerness 
of the people have seemed, alike to intensify, and the uncon- 
verted have been called to take refuge in Christ with a vehemence 



THE HARVEST IN ENGLAND. 



151 



of entreaty which has exerted a mighty influence on the assem- 
blies. During these five weeks God has answered the prayers 
of many years, and we cannot but feel that what has been going 
on in the city has made Manchester peculiarly interesting to the 
dwellers in heaven. 

At nine on Wednesday evening, about 2,000 men reassembled 
in the hall, to hear what Mr. Moody had to say on the subject of 
the Young Men's Christian Association. Mr. Herbert Spencer 
occupied the chair, and gave a brief address, intimating that it 
was in contemplation to buy the Museum for the Young Men's 
Christian Association, for ^30,000. Mr. Moody delivered an 
inspiriting address, in which he enlarged on the spiritual advan- 
tages of the Association, and urged the straining of every effort 
to reach the young men of Manchester, and to secure the build- 
ing in question for the Association, A collection toward the 
object, made at the close, realized $9,000, $5,000 of which was 
given, I believe, by the chairman. This amount, with what has 
been received before, including $2,500 given last week by Mr. J. 
Stuart, makes a total, at present received or promised, of $40,000. 

On Thursday morning, Mr. Moody addressed a crowded meet- 
ing in the Higher Broughton Presbyterian Church, and then came 
on to the noon prayer-meeting in the Oxford Hall, where he read 
and commented on the earlier part of the 103d Psalm. He said 
he had to bless the Lord for what He had done for him. It had 
been the best year of his life. He had been more used by God 
than in all the seventeen preceding years. He did not know of 
one sermon he had delivered that had not been blessed to the 
conviction or conversion of some souls. It was a delightful 
meeting. Every word uttered was set to the tune of " Bless the 
Lord, O my soul ! " When one minister rose to say, " I have to 
praise God for the conversion of the brother of dear friends of 
mine, who have prayed for him twenty-five years; for the con- 
version of the sister and of the servant of another friend ; for the 
salvation of three persons in my own congregation, for the dis- 
pelling of the doubts of a young man who had traveled 150 miles 
to these meetings — all which blessings have been given in the 



152 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

course of the present week "; when another minister rose to say 
he had never met with so much scriptural teaching concerning 
the way of salvation, and the clear direction of inquirers to Jesus, 
as in Mr. Moody's addresses ; and another to say that the last 
ten days had been the happiest of his life — that he had derived 
an inspiration, had discovered how to preach Christ, had enjoyed 
sweeter communion with Jesus, and felt like a man whose chains 
were broken — they only uttered what many could have endorsed 
as a description of the blessings they themselves had received. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Times of Blessing in Sheffield. 

This city of a quarter of a million is noted for its workers in 
iron and steel. Hearts hard as adamant were now to be assailed 
by sermon and song, and God honored the men who honored 
His gracious truth. At nine in the evening of December 31, 
1874, the evangelists first appeared before a Sheffield audience, 
and for two weeks the power of God was manifested through them 
in the most delightful manner. 

The work opened here most auspiciously ; the two meetings 
held on New Year's eve were crowded, and the impressions pro- 
duced were most solemn. 

The first meeting was held in the Temperance Hall at nine 
o'clock. Mr. Sankey sang a new hymn written by Dr. H. Bonar 
expressly for him, "Rejoice, and be glad! the Redeemer has 
come." 

The impression produced by his singing was very striking; 
those who had been merely curious or altogether indifferent 
seemed attracted, and earnest attention and even, in some cases, 
silent weeping, took the place of carelessness. The watch-night 
service was particularly solemn. The Albert Hall, where it was 
held, was crowded, many having stood before the doors an hour 
before they were opened, in order to make sure of admittance. 

Messrs. Moody and Sankey were accompanied on to the plat- 
form by a large number of ministers of all denominations. The 
vicar offered up a fervent prayer for the Divine blessing on the 
work in Sheffield. 

153 



154 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

One most interesting feature in this service was Mr. Sankey's 
singing of "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by." It might be the nov- 
elty of his style, or the associations naturally arising at the near 
approach of the new year, but I certainly have never seen such 
an effect produced. I have heard him in all the towns they have 
visited in Scotland, and also in Manchester ; but I never heard 
him sing so pathetically, more especially in the last stanzas : 

" Too late ! too late ! will be the cry, 
Jesus of Nazareth has passed by." 

Mr. Moody spoke from Luke xix. 10, "For the Son of man is 
come to seek and to save that which was lost." As illustrating 
this verse, he graphically narrated the two stories immediately 
preceding his text, that of the opening of the eyes of blind Bar- 
timeus, and the conversion of Zaccheus. It was only a re-telling 
of the stories, but given in that way peculiarly Mr. Moody's own, 
making his listeners part and parcel of the story, as if the whole 
thing were enacted just in the Targate, and Jesus were just pass- 
ing the hall-doors. He connected the two stories by throwing 
out the thought that as Bartimeus was on his way home to tell 
his wife, Zaccheus met him. "Why, isn't that the poor blind 
beggar ? it's like him ; but it can't be he, for his eyes are open." 

"Yes, it is I." 

"What has made your eyes open ?" 

"Jesus of Nazareth did it." 

" Where is He ? I must see Him." 

" He's just on the road to Jericho/' 

Away Zaccheus runs ; and because he is a little man, he gets 
up a tree, to see well. Jesus stops, looks up, calls him, "Zac- 
cheus, come down." This was one instance of sudden conver- 
sion. Some don't believe in sudden conversion; but here Zac- 
cheus was not converted when he went up the tree, yet he came 
down a converted man. We are told he received Jesus gladly. 
From these incidents, he proved how willing, how eager Christ 
is to save all. What have we to do? Nothing, blessed be God ! 
If we had, we would never do it. Only accept. What had Zac- 
cheus to do ? Only come clown, only obey. 



TIMES OF BLESSING IN SHEFFIELD. 155 

He concluded by drawing the attention of the audience to the 
fact that the old year was fast dying — only a few minutes — and 
what if the new year should come and find us where we were — 
lost ! Oh, let each of us take it, the offer is here; will you have 
it ? Salvation — ay, even before this year is closed you may be 
saved. As there are only a few minutes of this year remaining, 
let us finish the old and begin the new on our knees. 

The whole audience then sank on their knees, and the new 
year found them bent in silent prayer. Mr. Moody asked that 
those who were unsaved might stand up, that they might be 
prayed for. For a time none were willing to do so, but on Mr. 
Moody's asking a second time "if there were none in the hall 
wishing salvation," a few stood up, and the Christians were asked 
to pray for them. 

Just then the bells began to ring in the new year, and the Rev. 
R. Green engaged in prayer for an outpouring of the Holy Ghost 
on the town of Sheffield, and most particularly ©n the special 
meetings to be held. Mr. Moody also engaged in prayer. This 
was one of the most solemn scenes I have ever been privileged 
to witness. While the audience were bent in prayer the most 
intense stillness prevailed, broken only by an occasional sob. 
After singing the Doxology, the meeting separated. 

The streets were made lively after the meeting with vigorous 
singing of hymns, as bands of Christians wended their way home. 

Sunday was a day of blessing for Sheffield. The meetings were 
attended with most blessed results. 

The morning meeting for Christian workers was not, perhaps, 
so well attended in point of numbers as might have been expected, 
but the Christians who had come out at this early hour were right- 
down hearty workers. As Mr. Moody said, " He would rather 
have a moderately small meeting of such earnest Christians than 
have it packed with thousands of careless people." 

At the afternoon meeting, the Albert Hall was densely packed 
half an hour before the time ; the lower Albert Hall was thrown 
open for the overflow, but even then many had to go away disap- 
pointed. 



!^6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Mr. Moody addressed this large gathering from Rom. if. 23 : 
"For there is no difference. '' 

Many were evidently struck to the heart; some whom we 
heard scoffing at the commencement, were in tears at the conclu- 
sion of his address. 

When Mr. Sankey followed by singing " Free from the law, O 
happy condition ! " it seemed to produce a deep impression. 

The Sunday evening meeting was glorious. The hall was 
again densely packed. Mr. Sankey sang his solo, " There were 
ninety and nine." Mr. Moody then gave his address on " Re 
generation," from the words, "Ye must be born again." The 
result of the whole proceedings in Sheffield since the coining of 
our dear brethren must be considered highly satisfactory, and as 
affording great cause for thankfulness. 

Mr. Moody spoke no less than four times on Friday, on each 
occasion with much power, and with signs following. It need 
scarcely be added that Mr. Sankey's solos, including such favor 
ites as " Only an armor-bearer," " Dare to be a Daniel," " Whiter 
than snow," etc., deepened the influences produced by Mr. 
Moody's impassioned discourses. Indeed, it is made more and 
more manifest that the special gifts of each evangelist have been 
most happily wedded together for the common purpose they have 
in view. 

At the closing service in the evening there was no diminution 
either in the attendance or the interest. It was chiefly intended 
for the young converts, who were admitted by ticket, and crowde 
a large part of the area of the Albert Hall. Both the gallerie 
were also crammed long before the hour of commencing. It wa 
a glorious and inspiring sight to look on such a vast sea of huma 
faces, all lit up with eager expectation, and all assembled to hear 
the simple story of the Saviour's grace and power. The scene 
was more impressive still when, at the appointed hour, Mr. 
Moody and Mr. Sankey having quietly crossed the front of the 
platform, and taken their seats, the whole assembly rose and 
joined in singing the hymn, 



Ring the bells of heaven, there is joy to-day, 
For a soul returning from the wild." 






TIMES OF BLESSING IN SHEFFIELD. 157 

And afterward, in that jubilant old hymn that used to be sung at 
revival meetings fifteen years ago, and is ever fresh and new : 

"O happy day! that fixed my choice 
On Thee, my Saviour and my God ; 
Well may this glowing heart rejoice, 
And tell its raptures all abroad." 

After Mr. Sankey had sung " Whiter than snow," Mr. Moody 
spoke with his accustomed pungency, simplicity, and power, 
chiefly addressing the young converts. Surely they will never be 
able to forget his words of affectionate encouragement and cau- 
tion, as he pointed out the dangers that would inevitably come to 
them in their Christian life, and the unfailing source of strength 
amidst them all. Then came his parting words, evidently painful 
alike to speaker and hearers. " I have learned to love you," said 
Mr. Moody ; and the earnest gaze and tearful eyes before him 
testified, more loudly than words, how his love was reciprocated, 
and his labors and counsels prized. I was forcibly reminded of 
the scene of Paul's farewell meeting with the elders at Miletum. 
I verily believe that many hundreds of young converts would, one 
and all, have fallen on Mr. Moody's neck, and kissed him, sorrow- 
ing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see 
his face no more. One little fellow, at the close of the meeting, 
came to me in great distress when he found that Mr. Moody had 
left without having given him a shake of his hand. 

Before the meeting was dismissed, Mr. Sankey sang a parting 
hymn to the tenderly pathetic tune of " Home, sweet home," and 
the vast crowd lingered long in the hall where Christ had won so 
many sons and daughters within the past two weeks. 

The work among the young men has been taking root during 
the week. It has been a " Happy New Year " for Sheffield, and 
the faith of the Lord's people prompts them to hope that " still 
there's more to follow." 

Upward of eighty — clergymen of all the evangelical denomina- 
tions in the town, and the other members of the committee— met 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey at breakfast in the Imperial Hotel, 
on Saturday morning, to bid them farewell. Reporters were ex- 



158 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

eluded, but I understand that the unanimous expression of the 
company was one of gratitude to the -evangelists for their untiring 
and successful labors in Sheffield, and for the spirit of cordial co- 
operation among the various divisions of the Church that their 
visit had so blessedly generated. Practical as he always is, Mr. 
Moody used the occasion to urge upon the committee the neces- 
sity of rearing a central and suitable building in the town, where 
all those interested in the continued success of the work could 
meet on neutral ground, and carry on the meetings. 

In summing up the results, and giving general impressions of 
the value of these special services, the following account may be 
found useful : 

The crowded meetings, thrice repeated every day, attended by 
persons who set aside engagements, alike of business, work, and 
pleasure, have been accompanied with much power from above. 
Sheffield is usually considered as a population difficult to arouse, 
sturdy, independent, unimpressionable; like the metal in which 
we work in these parts, true, but hard as steel. Yet the place 
has been thoroughly aroused, and proof to demonstration given 
that God is able to work here, as in Jerusalem of old, and as in 
other towns of England now ; thus greatly encouraging Christian 
ministers and laborers to look with faith for greater things. All 
the meetings have been pervaded by a sense of God's nearness ; 
believers have been filled with fresh joy, and fired with new zeal ; 
the anxious have found soul-rest; the careless have been aroused. 
In fact, we have had at once a revival and an awakening — a re- 
vival touching the hearts of God's people, and an awakening 
spreading among the thoughtless. The influence reached its 
height on the last night of Mr. Moody's presence in the town, 
when he addressed specially the converts, who were present in 
goodly numbers, together with a vast crowd of Christian workers. 
His words seemed to have a thrilling power among us all. When 
he closed by saying that he did not like "farewell," and "good- 
bye " was almost as bad ; he would therefore just say " good- 
night," and meet- us in the morning (pointing to the skies), I 
think the whole audience deeply felt how much our beloved 



TIMES OF BLESSING IN SHEFFIELD. 159 

brother had endeared himself to us. And when Mr. Sankey fol- 
lowed directly with his touching farewell hymn, so appropriate to 
such an occasion, and so specially addressing every class of 
hearers, many were the eyes that were bathed in tears. Had it 
been possible, we would not have parted with our brethren. But 
may the Lord go with them in other places, confirming their word 
with signs and wonders, as He has done here ! 

The verdict of almost all Christian people upon this movement 
is, that it is the work of God. I am convinced that such an esti- 
mate is just, on many grounds. 

1. The movement was an answer to prayer. Though we had 
not waited on the Lord so long as Christians in some other towns 
have done, a weekly united prayer-meeting had been maintained 
for nearly a year previously. Many of God's people were also 
quietly sighing and crying for the abominations of the city, and 
hungering and thirsting for spiritual blessing. One feature in the 
prayers previously offered was very noticeable. While all were 
preparing heartily to welcome Messrs. Moody and Sankey, there 
was a thorough recognition in the supplications that not they, 
but their God, must open the flood-gates of grace. The Spirit 
was honored ; and we have had the answer. 

2. Remarkable unity prevailed. At least in its outward mani- 
festation this was realized, when ministers of the Established 
Church and those of the Free Churches sat together on the same 
platform, and followed each other in prayer. The force of exhor- 
tation, backed by the united sympathy and supplications of the 
whole Christian Church, is multiplied tenfold. Doubtless Chris- 
tian union is of God. When will it genuinely prevail ? Is not 
the attainment of it worth the surrender of the causes of division ? 

3. The movement had a growing power. Its influence at first 
was not to be compared with what it became in its progress. In- 
deed, the feeling of myself and of others with whom I have con- 
versed was at first one of disappointment. Both Mr. Moody's 
speaking and Mr. Sankey's singing seemed to fall short of what 
we had expected ; but it was not long before the impressiveness 
of both made itself felt to all. To my mind, this is a true test of 



l6o MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

excellence. A picture, a piece of music, a landscape — do they 
grow upon you by repetition ? The work of these evangelists has 
grown upon us. I apprehend it would have been the other way, 
had it not been of God. 

4. The stillness was remarkable. The noise and confusion 
favorable to revivals which are the work of man was altogether 
absent. The quiet, favorable to the descent and operations of 
the Holy Ghost, was marked. A man of my acquaintance once 
observed that " anybody could get up a revival, if he only made 
enough noise." There was nothing of that kind here. Indeed, 
I noticed that if any brother threw a needless physical exertion 
into his entreaties, Mr. Moody would be sure to say, " Let us 
have a few minutes' silent prayer ; " and this was mostly followed 
by the subduing strains of Mr. Sankey's harmonium and voice. 
A solemn quiet reigned at all times, and even Mr. Moody's hu- 
morous sayings did not destroy the solemnity of it. A work done 
under conditions such as these, so different- from those which 
have prevailed in some "revivals," commends itself to me as the 
work of God. There are many things that I might touch on; but 
only one thing more will I mention. 

5. The work is evidently one of faith. This quality is very 
observable in Mr. Moody. He has faith — not a proud self confi- 
dence engendered by success, but a humble reliance upon God 
and fearless expectation of blessing. 

Letter of Mr. Moody to the Young Converts. 

A meeting of converts was held on the evening of January 19, 
presided over by the Rev. R. Staunton. 

During the proceedings the chairman read the following letter : 

"Birmingham, Jan. 19, 1875. 

" My dear Friends : Mr. Sankey and I would have been very 

glad to have seen you all once more to-night, but God has given 

us work in another corner of His vineyard, and we can only join 

you in well-wishes. I am very glad now to have this opportunity 



TIMES OF BLESSING IN SHEFFIELD. l6l 

of fulfilling my promise to send you a short message. There are 
many things I should like to say if I had the time, but I fear I 
must confine myself to one or two very plain words. Ever since 
we left Sheffield, every one of us will have changed a little. Some 
will be merrier, and some will be gloomier. Some will be fuller 
of God's love, and some may even feel a little emptier • others, 
again, may not have got over the period of wonder, and still find 
themselves asking : 'And can it really all be true ? Is it not just 
some strange dream ? Is it really possible that God loves us, 
and that we are really saved for evermore ? ' And this is my only 
one reply to these very common and rational questions : We are 
changed, but Christ is not. Oh, if He were different, it would be a 
very, very serious thing. And if we are changed and are fright- 
ened about it, we must find out at once if He is changed too. If 
it is only we who are different, it does not matter much, because 
salvation does not depend upon us, but upon Him. And the 
Bible tells us all about it in one little golden sentence, which we 
must all ask God to burn into our hearts, and then we shall never 
be troubled any more about our feelings. In Hebrews xiii. 8, 
He says, ' Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for- 
ever.' Yes ! the same ; no matter how changed we are, no mat- 
ter how dull, how joyless, He is just as He was yesterday, just 
as He was the night when we got our first glimpse of His dying 
love for us. 

" Oh, dear friends, let us keep looking to Him, and as we look, 
God will give us the longing to be more and more like Him. 
Perhaps some of you already feel that longing, and you don't 
know what it is ! Perhaps you think it is very hard to have this 
craving after a better heart and a holier life. But Christ says it 
is 'blessed.' It is not hard; it is not a misfortune; it is not a 
sign that the health of the soul is gone. No ; appetite is not the 
symptom of disease, but of health. And the Master Himself has 
told us that it is blessed to be hungry and thirsty after Him. 
And some of you may be mourning over your empty hearts, for 
little love is there ; how little faith, how little zeal for the Mas- 
ter's service ! Well, it is not hardship to feel like that. If it be 



1 62 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN, 

real, it is not sad to be that way, only don't mourn over it. 
Christ says it is 'blessed' — blessed to be poor in spirit; and the 
poorer, and weaker, and humbler we feel, the more room is there 
for Him to perfect strength in our weakness. ' My grace is suffi- 
cient for thee ; my strength is made perfect in weakness ; # * * 
for when I am weak, then am I strong.' And now, dear friends, 
before closing, let me ask you all to do something for Christ, 
something this very week. I' cannot tell you what to do ; but 
God will if you ask Him. He has something for everybody to 
do ; and let us be earnest in doing our best for Him, and let us 
do it soon. Death will be upon us when our work will be but 
begun, and 'the night cometh when no man can work.' And for 
every one of you, that God may bless you, and keep you, and 
cause the light of His face to shine upon you, and enable you to 
grow in the knowledge and likeness of His only begotten Son, is 
the earnest and humble prayer of your affectionate friend, 

"D. L. Moody." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

"The Toy-shop of the World" Welcomes Them. 

Birmingham, with its 400,000 people, the constituency of 
John Bright, the English reformer, now looks up to God for a 
shower of grace upon the seed-sowing of the evangelists who 
began there January 17, and closed on the 29th. 

Never before in Birmingham have any preachers drawn such 
vast numbers of people as these brethren are doing at this time. 
Thousands are flocking daily to hear them from the districts 
around. The whole community seems stirred up. That which 
seems to be uppermost in men's minds, is the present marvelous 
gatherings that are daily taking place. There is no lack of 
opportunity for the Christian to put in a word for the Master, for 
wherever you go, whether in the counting-house, shop, refresh- 
ment-room, train, omnibus, and even as you walk along the 
street, the one topic is the doings of these wonderful men of God. 
If you want to get a seat at their meetings, you must be there fully 
one hour before the time, and a stranger entering the town must 
be struck with the determination of those who daily seek these 
gatherings. 

Every day this week hundreds have been turned away fron\ 
the noon-day meetings held in the Town Hall. Meetings are 
now being held an Carr's Lane Chapel every afternoon at three 
o'clock, and here again it is necessary to be there some time before 
the service commences. In fact, yesterday I was there at two 
o'clock, and the body of the chapel was then filled. It is estimated 
that three thousand people are in this building every afternoon. 

163 



164 MOODY AND SAXKEY IX GREAT BRITAIN. 

To convey to the mind of the reader the sight which presents 
itself on entering Bingley Hall is impossible. Sloping down 
from the galleries which run round the building, other galleries 
have been erected, and the whole building, from the speaker's 
platform, looks like one vast amphitheatre. The crimson cloth 
which drapes the galleries adds to the general effect, and makes 
the hall look very comfortable. The immense sea of faces is 
singularly impressive, especially when from 12,000 to 15,000 
people are listening eagerly to catch the words that fall r rom the 
speaker's lips. 

The question may be asked, What effect is this movement hav- 
ing upon the people in general ? I reply, Good every way. The 
stirring addresses given by Mr. Moody to Christians from the 
very first morning, are bearing fruit. They are beginning to look 
about, and realize that thousands around them are living without 
Christ. Many Christians have spoken to me of the fresh energy 
with which they have been stimulated, through attending the 
meetings. As for those who nightly throng Bingley Hall, the 
best test of the work I can give is, that whereas at first the after- 
meetings were held in a neighboring church, the anxious ones 
have now become so numerous, that they are obliged to remain 
in the hall, while earnest Christian workers, with Bible in hand, 
pass from one to another, and open to inquirers the way of life. 

All this proves to us the great power of God, and what He can 
do by two men who give themselves wholly up to Him. The work 
" is marvelous in our eyes," but it is not less marvelous that their 
physical strength does not give way under their unceasing labors. 
While Mr. Sankey is greatly gifted with power to use his voice in 
singing the Gospel, Mr. Moody has away of marvelously picturing, 
in the most vivid manner, Bible truths. From the humorous he 
can come down to the pathetic, and so move his hearers to tears, 
and withal there is a " holy boldness " which is seldom to be met 
with in the preachers of the present da} 7 . 

The Morning News says : " Never before in the history of Bir- 
mingham, I believe, have two men drawn such large numbers of 
people together as Messrs. Moody and Sankey have done, time 



i 



THE TOY-SHOP OF THE WORLD WELCOMES THEM. 1 65 

after time, during the whole of last week an-d yesterday. The 
Town Hall, Carr's Lane Chapel, and Bingley Hall, have been 
entirely filled at most of their meetings, uncomfortably crowded 
at some, and all but full at one or two others. Since commencing 
their labors here, they have held twenty-two services, namely, 
four in Carr's Lane Chapel, six in the Town Hall, and twelve in 
Bingley Hall. No doubt in many cases the same persons pre- 
sented themselves at the meetings again and again \ but it is 
probable that the audiences were, for the most part, different on 
each occasion. At the four meetings in Carr's Lane Chapel 
some 12,000, at the six in the Town Hall about 24,000, and at the 
twelve in Bingley Hall at least 120,000 persons must have been 
present, making a total of 156,000 men, women, and children, to 
whom, during the last eight days, they have preached and sung 
the Gospel. Nor does the interest in the men and their work 
as yet know any abatement, it being likely that the services to be 
held this week will be as numerously attended as those of last week." 

Amidst all the cavil of unbelief, and other opponents, thou- 
sands can testify, day by day, to the reality and power, widely 
spreading and deepening blessing upon their souls. Sinners 
have been converted to God, and believers edified. Whole con- 
gregations, both in churches and chapels, have felt its animating 
power. The clergy and ministers of various denominations 
have rejoiced together in this blessed work of the Lord, and felt 
its quickening influence. Many of the Lord's servants have met 
together for the first time, and felt their hearts drawn out in 
brotherly love and sympathy, enabling them to overlook various 
minor differences of creed and church government. 

The noon-day prayer-meeting was first held in the Town Hall, 
which large building was filled long before the appointed hour. 
A very solemn and prayerful spirit seemed to pervade the masses 
—the stillness was quite impressive, and the great bulk of the 
people seemed to enter most deeply into the importance and 
solemnity of the occasion. The numbers at the noon-day prayer- 
meeting were probably quite 3,000. Afterward it was changed 
to Bingley Hall, where thousands more might be accommodated. 



1 66 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

The afternoon Bible-reading is also well attended, and greatly 
enjoyed by many. The evening meetings have gone on steadily 
increasing, until at length I suppose some 15,000 must have been 
congregated together. The attention of these great masses 
(assembled an hour before the time) was well sustained by sing- 
ing — and, as a brother clergy man said to me, on the platform, " we 
never heard such singing of the good Old Hundredth Psalm 
before, and probably may never hear the like again " — as it burst 
forth from the hearts and lips of this vast assemblage. Oh! it 
was a touching sight and a telling sound — such as Birmingham 
itself had never witnessed before — 15,000 met together, night 
after night, to listen to the loving, sympathizing, fervent preach- 
ing of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners ! And the audience 
felt it ! The Holy Spirit of God seemed working in our midst — 
alike on preacher and hearers — and many were the hearts moved. 

At 7:30 Messrs. Moody and Sankey entered the building. 
The service began by singing, then prayer was offered, another 
hymn or two were sung, a portion of Holy Scripture read, another 
hymn, and then followed the address. Numerous anecdotes 
were related, as if not only to illustrate certain points, but also 
to rivet the attention, and then, as the preacher's heart and 
tongue seemed set on fire, all these little adjuncts were sub- 
merged in the one glowing, burning theme — salvation for lost 
sinners — yea, a present and immediate salvation for every one 
that believeth in Jesus ! As I sat near the preacher, I could 
read the meaning of the big drops upon his brow, and how his 
whole frame was moved, not with selfish passions, seeking per- 
sonal admiration, but steeped in the love and spirit of his Master. 
One great object was kept steadily in view — the glory of God in 
the salvation of sinners through Jesus Christ, and the intense 
longing that thousands might share with him the blessings and 
the joys of this great salvation ! Almost breathless stillness 
chained the audience. 

Numbers stayed for the after-meetings ; the females in the 
side-galleries, the males in the Scotch Church adjoining. On 
the first Monday evening Mr. Moody himself undertook the men, 



"the toy-shop of the world" welcomes them. 167 

but finding the numbers so large, he sent up to the platform for 
assistance. Undoubtedly personal interviews are the best. 

We have reason to believe that many found pardon and peace 
in Jesus, and are spreading their happy and holy influences 
around. The singing appeared to be improving night after 
night, as the vast masses gradually learned the tunes and hymns. 
Mr. Sankey's solos were powerfully and sweetly sung, and his 
clear utterance and distinct enunciation of syllable after syllable 
gave a great effect and pathos to the whole. 

And on Tuesday, January 26, the day of the convention, it 
was supposed that from one to two thousand ministers of various 
denominations attended the gathering, which began that day 
at ten o'clock and continued till four p. m. Truly it was a great 
evidence of the divine blessing, as the delegates from Edinburgh, 
and Dublin, and other cities, told how the work was still progress- 
ing in their respective cities, after Messrs. Moody and Sankey 
had left, and in some places ripening in a most marvelous 
manner. Indeed a letter reached me only yesterday, telling me 
of a brother clergyman in Dublin, who had a list of sixty persons 
in his congregation, who had apparently been brought to Christ 
through attending the meetings of Messrs. Moody and Sankey. 

Verily, the Lord is blessing the evangelistic labors of our dear 
brothers in Christ — Moody and Sankey. I do not pretend to 
endorse every utterance, or to see with them exactly, eye to eye, on 
every point. But I do see, and I do greatly rejoice in their being 
raised up by God to proclaim, so touchingly, and so successfully, 
the utter ruin of sinful, fallen man, and his recovery solely 
through faith in Jesus Christ ! 

The all-day convention on Tuesday was in every way a suc- 
cessful meeting. It was attended by immense crowds throughout 
the day, and many well-known ministers and others were present 
from London and various towns in the provinces, as well as Scot- 
land and Ireland. Mr. Moody presided throughout the day, with 
his usual tact and energy. 

The first hour was fitly devoted to praise, and Mr. Sankey's 
opening address was followed by powerful testimony to the value 



1 68 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

of the services by our brethren in Scotland and Ireland. All the 
speakers concurred in saying that a new song had been put into 
their mouths. 

Mr. Moody occupied the next hour with an address on " Work ; " 
and his trenchant words, uttered in the presence of so many 
Christian workers, were potent with blessing, in stimulating them 
to do more than ever for the Master in their widely separated 
vineyards. 

" How to conduct Prayer-meetings " was the next topic, and a 
most important one it is. We cannot better describe many of 
the prayer-meetings we have been accustomed to attend in past 
years than by comparing them to " wet blankets." They have 
been characterized by so much frigidity and routine, that we do 
not wonder the attendance has mostly been small. Mr. Moody 
will have done us British Christians a great and lasting service if 
he has been enabled to show how our prayer-meetings may be 
made broad and deep channels of blessing and happiness, both 
to Christians and the careless world round about us. We look 
for this result. 

More important, perhaps, was the subject of the next hour, 
" How to reach the masses." Whoever will solve that problem 
will earn the unspeakable gratitude of all who sigh for the conver- 
sion of the nations to Christ. The rousing addresses of Mr. 
Chown, of Bradford; Mr. Newman Hall, of London; Mr. R. W. 
Dale, of Birmingham ; Mr. Fletcher, of Dublin, and others, all 
men of large experience, will, we trust, have contributed some- 
what to this desired end. 

Mr. Moody was as practical as ever in his answers to the ques- 
tions sent in ; and if those who sent them will only apply those 
answers, we are inclined to think the hour devoted to the " Ques- 
tion Drawer " will be the most fruitful of any. 

In the evening a public service was held in the same place ; 
hundreds were unable to gain admission. The Rev. Newman 
Hall, of London, delivered an address, earnestly entreating all 
present to forsake sin and come to Christ. Mr. Moody, in his 
discourse, urged on his hearers immediate decision for Christ. 



THE TOY-SHOP OF THE WORLD" WELCOMES THEM. 



169 



Mr. Sankey's singing of sacred songs seems to make a deep 
impression upon the great congregation. 

At the meeting in Bingley Hall on Friday evening, Mr. Moody 
said : I was very dejected last night. Our meetings have been 
so much blessed that an effort was put forth to get Bingley Hall 
for another week. When we -got home last evening, we found a 
despatch from a gentleman, saying we could not have the hall. I 
was greatly depressed all day. Now, however, I have just been 
told we may yet obtain the hall for another week. But the com- 
mittee are wavering a little, as they have some fears the people 
will not come out to the meetings next week. We have had good 
committees wherever we have been ; but we have never had a 
better committee than the Birmingham one, and I know they will 
come to a wise decision. But if you are anxious about your souls, 
you'll attend the meetings. We'll get several gentlemen to speak, 
and we hope you'll rally round them and the committee. We 
have had great blessings in other towns ; but I think we never 
met with anything that came up to this — to our meetings in Bir- 
mingham. I must say I've never enjoyed preaching the gospel 
more than I have done since we came to Birmingham. We've 
reached so many people. I only wish we could have such a hall 
wherever we go. I think if we could only take up Bingley Hall, 
we would carry it round the world with us, as a place in which to 
preach the gospel to all men. But I would like you Birmingham 
people to go with us. Well, then, if we do our best to get speak- 
ers for another week, will you do your best to get hearers for the 
speakers? — (Many cries of "Yes," "yes.") Well, keep your 
promise. Why, almost any man could speak in this hall to such 
a meeting as this. The very sight of you is enough to make a 
dumb dog bark. I'll telegraph off to Liverpool and London to 
send us all the help they can. There will be a service on Sunday 
afternoon, when one of your own ministers will preach. On Mon- 
day night you'll have a thanksgiving service. Come to it to thank 
God for having answered our prayers to bless these meetings. 
Has God not answered your prayers? — (Cries of "Yes," "yes.") 
Then on Tuesday we'll get some one else to speak. On 



I70 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Wednesday there will be the usual services in the churches and 
chapels. On Thursday night there will be another speaker. On 
Friday I will come back, on my way to Liverpool, and we'll have 
a meeting for all the converts. Now, let all rise who will support 
the committee and attend the different meetings. [Almost the 
entire audience stood up in response to this appeal.] Yes ; the 
committee are quite satisfied. We'll go on then. Pray there may 
be hundreds and thousands converted next week. If things do 
not always "please you, don't complain ; just pray. Pray for a 
great blessing next week. 

Services were held in Bingley Hall, from 5,000 to 7,000 per- 
sons having been present at each. 

At Messrs. Moody and Sankey's farewell service, Bingley Hall 
was once more crowded to its utmost, ^nearly 1,600 converts' 
tickets being applied for. It would be manifestly premature to 
assert that this number of people have been converted during the 
previous three weeks' services. As Mr. Moody said at the Con- 
ference in London, on the same day, they did not desire to reckon 
up the number of converts, because they could not judge of the 
reality of the cases. At the same time we think it very probable 
that many have been brought savingly to believe in Christ who 
did not apply for converts' tickets. In any case, the progress of 
the movement in Birmingham has been such as greatly to encour- 
age and cheer our American brethren and those who helped them 
in their labors j and we respond to Mr. Moody's hope that it may 
" continue for a year." 

Mr. Moody's address to the converts was, as usual, most fitting. 
His parting sentences were the expression of affectionate regard, 
and it was plain, from the demeanor of the audience, that the 
parting on their side was a most reluctant one. 

Mr. Sankey sang the farewell hymn with great pathos and feel- 
ing; and on leaving the hall both he and Mr. Moody were be- 
sieged with friends anxious to receive a parting shake of the hand. 
They proceeded to Liverpool on Saturday. 

A correspondent writes concerning this meeting: "We shall 
never forget that address." Such was the almost involuntary 



"the toy-shop of the world" welcomes them. 171 

exclamation of a well-dressed mechanic who was standing by us 
in the aisle of Bingley Hall. And truly the work of the Lord in 
this town is such as has never before been seen here. We were 
praying and expecting great things, but the blessing has exceeded 
our expectations ; never before have the people of every class 
been so moved and such glorious results followed. A week hav- 
ing elapsed since Mr. Moody left us, we are enabled to speak in 
a measure of results. First, the life of the ministers who have 
taken part has been largely increased, so that the testimony of 
many of the hearers last Sunday was, " Our minister preaches like 
a new man ; " then the renewed life of the churches is already 
manifesting itself in the desire to work either in Sunday-schools 
or tract districts ; and besides this, the people outside are more 
disposed to hear the gospel, many coming into our churches last 
Sunday, and in more cases than one when notice was given out 
after the service that inquirers would be spoken to, numbers vary- 
ing from twenty to sixty passed into the vestry, and many rejoiced 
in a new-found Saviour. Our hearts are indeed full of praise; 
should we be silent, the stones might well cry out, " But we will 
bless the Lord from this time forth, and forevermore." 

I know of no one of the many blessed hymns which has more 
struck the heart and arrested attention than that sweet one whose 
chorus begins, " Oh, 'twas love, 'twas wondrous love, the love of 
God to me." This love and its manifestation is the theme of every 
sermon, and, of course, God owns it. Ministers wonder at fail- 
ure, and try to discover the cause ; a week of services such as 
Birmingham has had for the lost fortnight, I think must answer 
the question, " What is the cause of failure ? " for we have seen 
in the crowded meetings, in the overwhelming number of anxious 
ones, in the utter breaking down of strong men, the secret of suc- 
cess. The wondrous love of God has been the weapon which has 
been used ; failure in using this weapon has been the cause of 
failure in result. Never has Birmingham been so mightily moved • 
in the workshops Sankey's songs are sung, and men who cared for 
none of these things are anxiously inquiring after the good news. 
Oh, may our God carry on the work begun with mighty power. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Liverpool's Month of Mercy. 

The brethren revisited this great city by the sea on the 7th of 
February and remained till March 7, 1875. Twenty thousand 
dollars had been expended for a building capable of seating 
eight thousand persons, and, when crowded, several thousand 
more were accommodated. It was named Victoria Hall. 

The Friday preceding the arrival was observed as a day of 
preparation on the part of many of the churches, and the first 
meeting of the evangelists was on Sunday morning, at eight 
o'clock, for Christian workers. This was followed by the after- 
noon and evening meetings. 

All Liverpool was moved by them ; but not with the most 
desiiable feelings. Some were actuated by a spirit of embittered 
hostility, and did not hesitate to write and speak of these ser- 
vants of Christ what had not the shadow of truth. This very 
opposition, however, did good. God makes " the wrath of men 
to praise Him." I have known of some who entered Victoria 
Hall bitter enemies, and left it attached friends to the move- 
ment. Many flock to the meetings, apparently from idle curi- 
osity, and thousands under spiritual anxiety, whilst God's people 
rally round the evangelists with an enthusiasm and hearty good- 
will which is cheering to observe. 

At last Monday evening's meeting, an intelligent young man 

informed me he came into that hall to scoff at all he heard. "I 

believed only in God and the devil ; the latter I served well, and, 

as sitting laughing at the fools (as I then thought) about me, 

172 



Liverpool's month of mercy. 173 

that beautiful hymn, 'Safe in the arms of Jesus,' was sung. A 
sudden thrill passed through my whole frame, and then like a dart 
ran through my very heart. My feelings were awful, but I lis- 
tened to the next verse, and felt there is a Saviour. Who is He ? 
Where is He ? Instantly I realized the truth, Jesus is the 
Saviour. I threw myself into His loving arms, and here I am 
now, rejoicing in Him." 

" Blessed be God," I said, " for such news. Now, brother, go 
home and tell your friends what great things God hath done for 
your soul." 

" Will you pray ? " he said. 

We went together to the throne, and then he said, " God bless 
you. I will now live and work for Jesus." 

The devil lays his plans, and no doubt thinks they are well 
arranged, but whilst he proposes certain events, God disposes of 
them in a very different way than Satan expected, 

Of this I have had an instance. 

"I am under a dreadful temptation," said a young man to me. 

"What is it?" I asked. 

" I was given drink by a man professing to be a Christian, and 
whom I have heard preaching the truth to me and others, but who 
is opposed to Moody and Sankey, and I was sent here by him 
to give annoyance. Now I am brought to Christ, in place of dis- 
honoring Christ in this meeting, what am I to do to this man ? " 

" Pray for him," I said, " and God will give him to you as a 
star for your crown. Tell him plainly his state, and bring him 
here with you next night." 

" I knew a lady who went to a religious meeting an avowed 
infidel, sent there by two sisters-in-law for a similar purpose to 
that which brought you this night here. She was brought to 
Christ, and sent back to them full of Jesus, and was the means 
of their saving conversion ; and now all three are rejoicing in the 
great salvation effected by Jesus, the Son of God, for every 
penitent, believing child of Adam." 

Truly the Lord is doing great things for us, "whereof we are 
glad." 



174 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

It may emphatically be said of them, " They came, they spoke, 
they conquered." For twenty years I have been more or less 
mixed up with the evangelistic work of the town, but never have 
I met with more opposition and scorn to any movement than the 
present. 

The erection of the vast hall to hold 10,000 persons, was looked 
on as monstrous folly. As it was being built, the talk was, To 
what purpos'e is this waste ? But now what was called Moody's 
folly, is seen to be God's wisdom. 

Men who wrote, spoke against, and laughed at it, now speak 
with bated breath, come and hear, and go with changed thoughts. 
"Nothing succeeds like success," is an old world's adage, and in 
this is proved to be true : — 6,000 at a midday prayer-meeting; 
6,000 at the afternoon Bible-lecture ; 10,000 at the evening meet- 
ing, with the inquiry-rooms full, are something that even the Ex- 
change has to admit. But beyond this, there is the mighty work- 
ing power of God's Spirit working and acting, which no tables 
can register or numbers record. " 'Tis not by might, nor by power, 
but by My Spirit," was the key-note of the preparatory meetings, 
which has been steadily kept before all the workers. j 

The part allotted to me in the great work has enabled me to 
see and test much that is going on. And this I can say — there is 
wheat ; there is chaff. The wheat is sound, and will be a glorious, 
bountiful harvest. The chaff will be blown away. Wheat and 
chaff always grow together. Never have we been privileged to 
see so much real, genuine work — anxious faces, tearful eyes, 
aching hearts. 

Mr. Moody, after a telling address, went into the inquiry-room, 
and his place was occupied by a layman, who wielded the sword 
of the Spirit with amazing power right and left. His words, 
powerful and well chosen, fell with force, and told on the vast 
audience that seemed spellbound. Many seemed to be convicted 
of sin, and hurried into the inquiry-room. 

Mr. Moody remarked that many people thought the Victoria 
Hall was a bad investment, but that, if souls were born there, per- 
haps some of them would like to have a little stock in it. 



LIVERPOOL S MONTH OF MERCY. i ]$ 

Mr. Moody's earnest invitation to those who were anxious 
about their salvation to stand up, and afterward to meet him in 
the inquiry-room, was responded to by hundreds, who were not 
deterred from showing their anxiety by the curious gaze of many 
thousand spectators. 

Many striking instances of conversion have occurred, and 
other cases have come under my own observation in which back- 
sliders have been led to return to their first love. One day at the, 
noon prayer-meeting, Mr. Moody told of an interesting case of 
conversion he had met the night before. A young, stalwart man, 
who was to sail for America next day, had come into the meeting. 
He had been pricked to the heart by Mr. Moody's pointed appeals, 
and found his way to the inquiry-room, and here, as he believed, 
to lay his hitherto unforgiven sins on Jesus. Later in the evening 
he called on Mr. Moody at his hotel, and received a letter of intro- 
duction to any of the Christian friends in America he might meet. 
He was accompanied to the hotel by his brother, who had come 
from the country with him to see him sail, and who seemed over- 
joyed to think that one so nearly related to him was taking 
Christ with him ere he left his native shores. 

At the evening meetings the hall is always crowded with some- 
thing like t 0,000 people, and if it were not that the committee 
kept a great part of the passages clear to allow of access to the 
inquiry- room, every inch of standing ground would be occupied. 
The attendance at the noon prayer-meetings averages 4,000 to 
5,000, the audience, of course, not being so mixed as those in the 
evening. One gratifying circumstance, however, in connection 
with the noon meeting should be noted, and that is, the presence 
of so many of the Liverpool merchants and business men. I 
have heard it stated that between twelve and one, when the noon 
prayer-meeting is held, 'Change is half deserted, and it has been 
remarked that no other source of attraction has ever drawn so 
many of these busy men away from their money-making for an 
hour in the middle of the day. May they carry away some truth 
that will cling to them when they are tempted to forget God in 
their haste to get rich ! 



176 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 






Avery happy feature of the work here, as elsewhere, is the sym- 
pathetic co-operation of many clergymen and ministers of various 
denominations. They appear on the platform and take part in 
the services, as well as in the personal dealing with the anxious. 

" This is glorious work ; this is reality." Such was the remark 
that reached my ears one evening last week, as I was passing 
through the inquiry-room adjoining Victoria Hall. There, I 
, thought, is the whole movement in a nut-shell. The more I see 
it, and the more I ponder over it, I am impressed with the feeling 
of reality that pervades this work, as it is now going on in Liver- 
pool. Endless are the surmises, and very ludicrous some of the 
guesses, as to the secret of its wonderful success. The Liver- 
pool critics (and their name is legion) are fairly puzzled. I sum 
it all up in the one word reality. 

Mr. Moody has often been described, and criticised, and dis- 
sected, both by friends and foes, but I think sufficient stress has 
been laid on his predominating characteristic of reality. As he 
said the other day, he pulls up his net anon to see what he has 
caught. This is the highest test of his reality, and the one that 
has evoked the greatest criticism. But it is the one that has all 
along contributed most to the success of the movement. 

During the past week the slain of the Lord have been many. 
Every evening has seen fresh groups scattered over the inquiry- 
room, with tearful eyes and troubled hearts, drinking in the 
affectionate words of invitation, or the plain words of appeal, 
addressed to them by Mr. Moody and his co-workers. ' People 
who know least about it may affect to shrug the shoulder at the 
inquiry-room, but one or two visits there would do them good, 
and probably convince them how indispensable it is to success in 
this work. I hope one result of this awakening in our land will 
be that every minister of the gospel, and every one who seeks to 
speak to his fellow-men about salvation, will not only cast out 
the net, but will draw it up every time. 

The leading attraction of the meetings last week was Mr. 
Moody's Bible-lectures. On each occasion the hall was crowded ; 
so that on a moderate computation, the seed of the word of God 



LIVERPOOL S MONTH OF MERCY. 



177 



relating to these two most important subjects was sown in the 
hearts of some 60,000 or 70,000 persons, many of them from a 
long distance. 

The lectures are a treat of no ordinary kind. As expository 
discourses they are most valuable, and reveal, to some extent, 
how Mr. Moody has got, to use a common phrase, " the Bible at 
his finger-ends." But these lectures have a wonderful hortatory 
as well as expository value. 

It is a gratifying fact that the attendance at the evening meet- 
ings chiefly continues to increase. During the first week of the 
services the Victoria Hall was almost sufficient to hold the 
crowds of eager listeners ; at any rate, the overflow was not con- 
sidered so great as to necessitate the opening of other places. 
Last week, however, overflow meetings were held, sometimes in 
two and sometimes in three different places. 

One evening I went to St. John's Church, where I found W. 
H. M. Aitken and the vicar of the church conducting the service 
after the model of the services in Victoria Hall. The body of 
the church was filled partly with the overflow from the hall, and 
partly with those who had been induced to enter by personal 
solicitation, and by hearing a group of young men singing hymns 
in the church-yard. It was a motley company, and a great ma- 
jority consisted of those who, from their dress and appearance, 
do not often find their way to God's house. There were num- 
bers of men such as one sees lounging at street-corners and 
about public-houses, many young girls in working attire and 
without bonnets, and a number of rough, neglected-looking 
street Arabs. Their behavior, with one or two exceptions, was 
most orderly and attentive. A good sprinkling remained at the 
close to be conversed with, and many of them were enabled to 
lay their sins on Jesus, or, as the speaker said, to accept the fact 
that God had laid them there nearly nineteen hundred years ago. 

It is interesting and refreshing to notice how all grades of 
society and all ages are represented among the anxious who 
throng the inquiry-room at the close of Mr. Moody's addresses. 
From the richly-dressed lady to the poor waif of the street, with 



178 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



- 



scarce enough of clothing to cover his nakedness ; from the boy 
and girl of eight or ten years to the horny-handed, gray-headed 
working-man, with all the intervening stages of life — there you 
find all, burdened with the same sense of sin, and afterward 
rejoicing in the same Saviour. 

The special work among the young men, which has been car- 
ried on in other towns where the evangelists have been, is being 
organized here also. On Saturday evening there was a meeting 
for young men, chiefly to make arrangements, at which Mr. 
Moody was present. In the meantime the meetings will be held 
in Newsome's Circus, and shortly it is expected that the concert- 
room of St. George's Hall will be available. 

Sunday last was another day of much sowing of the precious 
seed of the word, and reaping too. The early meeting for 
" workers " was some 8,000 strong. 

The afternoon meeting for women was a wonderful sight. The 
hall was packed to excess, and many hundreds failing to gain 
entrance, an overflow meeting was held in Newsome's Circus. 
Mr. Sankey sang the solo " Mary Magdalene " amidst the most 
profound silence, and the pathetic and beautiful words of the 
hymn brought tears to many an eye. Mr. Moody spoke on 
" What Christ is to us," a most pregnant and powerful address 
on a theme that he said it would take all eternity to- exhaust. 
As at other times, Mr. Moody asked those who wished to be 
prayed for to rise up, and hundreds upon hundreds responded in 
all parts of the house. A more touching or cheering sight I 
never witnessed. Mr. Sankey sang " Almost persuaded," and 
Mr. Moody said that there were so many anxious, it would be 
impossible to speak with them ; so he asked them to go home, 
and at five o'clock to take God's Word, and kneel down pleading 
His promise, and commit themselves to Him. All the Christians 
in the hall would be praying for them at that hour. He prayed, 
that they might be altogether persuaded. 

Mr. Moody repeated his afternoon address to an immense 
audience of men in the evening, and in the course of it made 
strong reference to the great curse of Liverpool, the drink traffic, 






Liverpool's mon^h of mercy. 179 

amid the approval of the vast congregation. He asked them to 
show their detestation of it by becoming abstainers. There were 
hundreds of inquirers at the close. A deeply interesting meeting 
of about 7,000 young men was held in the Circus from nine to 
ten o'clock^ conducted by Mr. Henry Drummond. These meet- 
ings are to be continued every night. 

Valuable testimony was given as to the tangible effects of the 
work in Liverpool. It was stated that one class reached had 
been those who, though religiously trained, had, during these 
special meetings, seen a. new meaning and power in the truths 
with which they were familiar. Many sailors, and ship captains, 
too, had come to the meetings and been guided into the true 
haven of rest and peace. Then there were many workingmen 
who had plunged into the depths of intemperance, and whose in- 
sulted and injured wives, after being driven from their homes, 
had been compelled to support themselves and their children for 
years together. These wives, in this day of grace, had sent let- 
ters to their husbands, extending their forgiveness and implor- 
ing them to come to Victoria Hall and seek forgiveness of the 
Saviour. Some of them had come and found that forgiveness, 
and gone back to lighten their homes again with a new lustre and 

joy- 
Allusion was made by one of the speakers to another class, 
one much too large and full of strange and painful interest, con- 
sisting of those who have in past years made a profession of love 
to Christ, but have wandered * 

" Away on the mountains, wild and bare," 

and have been glad to take of the husks that the swine did eat. 
It had often been asked whether the converts connected with this 
revival would stand the test of time, and endure the temptations 
of the world. When the question is put, as it often is, " Brother, 
have all your converts stood fast?" I can only confess that, 
during the forty years but one that I have preached in this town, 
I have missed a great many from the fold ; but I have found 
some of them in that inquiry-room. The first night the inquiry- 



l8o MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

room was needed, I lingered on the platform, not intending to 
go into the room, when a message came to me, " You are wanted 
immediately ; an inquirer wishes to see you." I went, and I had 
not seen that face — I will not tell you whether it was man or 
woman — for twenty years ; and I found that soul had wandered 
away, and had kept out of my sight with perfect success.- The 
first conviction was to go and tell him by whose hands they had 
been received into the Christian Church. Many a wanderer has 
come, and Christ alone knows how many more He will welcome 
back to His all-forgiving arms, and fill our hearts with a gladness 
they have never experienced before. 

And so the great work flows steadily on. As the days and 
weeks roll past, and the same scenes are so often repeated, it is 
difficult to find fresh terms in which to describe " these wondrous 
gatherings day by day." The four meetings on Sunday last may 
briefly be stated as a repetition of those on the Sunday before. 
All crowded to the utmost capacity of the great hall, and, in some 
cases, especially at the afternoon and evening meetings, multi- 
tudes turned away for lack of room. 

The service for " non-church goers " at eleven o'clock was a 
fresh illustration of the power of Christ's wondrous love, or "com- 
passion," to melt the hearts of the most supine, and to move the 
consciences of the most sin-stricken. The arrows of conviction 
went home right and left, and there was a large ingathering of 
souls at the close. Mr. Moody used, by way of illustration, a 
very touching chapter of personal family history that brought 
tears to many eyes. 

At the three o'clock service for women, the hall was filled to 
overflowing an hour before the time. The women are quite as de- 
termined in their efforts to get in as the stronger sex, and some say 
not quite so well behaved under the trying conditions of a crowd. 
To my mind, these Sunday afternoon meetings for women have 
been the most wonderful of all, and certainly not the least impor- 
tant, when we consider the power for good or evil that must be ex- 
erted by so many thousands of our mothers and sisters. I must say 
these meetings have proved that the women are not only quicker 



LIVERPOOL S MONTH OF MERCY. 151 

in their apprehension of the truth, but more honest and courageous 
in avowing their apprehension of it. At the close of Mr. Moody's 
searching address on " Excuses," a very considerable proportion 
of the audience promptly stood up to show that they wished to 
excuse themselves no longer from accepting the gracious invita- 
tion to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Mr. Moody spoke to 
the inquirers that filled the inquiry-room, in language and by 
illustration so beautifully simple and apt, that it is almost impos- 
sible to conceive any difficulty could have remained in their 
minds. At the same time Mr. Sankey addressed, in a very art- 
less, homely, and touching way, a large body of anxious inquirers 
who remained in the hall. 

Mr. Moody, before leaving Liverpool, addressed an immense 
meeting in behalf of the Young Men's Christian Association, and 
laid the corner-stone of the new building, inscribed, " This memo- 
rial stone was laid by D. L. Moody of Chicago, 2d March, 1875." 
He used a silver trowel presented to him for the occasion. 

The closing services were held on Sunday, the 7th of March, 
at eight a. m., for Christian workers ; at eleven a. m. for young 
converts and inquirers ; at three p. m. for women only ; and at 
eight p. m. for men only. Each was very largely attended. 

In 1873, not a convert was known to have been made by the 
meetings held by the evangelists in Liverpool, and now behold 
the wonderful victories of the Truth ! 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 83 

six- the singing of a hymn was begun in a distant part of the hall ; 
but the Rev. Thain Davidson, from his seat on the platform, re- 
quested the stewards to repress volunteer attempts of this sort, 
and in a moment his wish was obeyed. The arrangements were, 
indeed, admirable. Ushers, each invested with an official rod, 
were scattered all over the building. Those near me were young 
merchants and professional men ; and they did their work with 
quiet, effective energy. There seems to have been no screw loose 
anywhere. The silent seating of so many thousands was a mas- 
terpiece of administrative care and skill. 

The appearance of the vast throng was in itself a sight worth 
going many miles to see. No architectural features of the build- 
ing came between the eye and the great sea of humanity that 
seemed to stretch as far as the vision could go. There was abun- 
dance of light shed from thousands of gas-burners beading the 
walls — these at times running in straight lines, and at regular in- 
tervals assuming a semicircular form. A broad strip of red cloth 
running round beneath the lines and arches of light bore appro- 
priate passages in white lettering. The first of these, on the 
right of the platform, was, " Repent ye, and believe the Gospel " ; 
and the first on the left, "The gift of God is eternal life." At 
the centre of the platform there is a small dais, covered with red 
cloth, and having a slight rail round it, and a little book-board at 
one corner. This is for the president of the meetings. On his 
right are the seats for the choir, and Mr. Sankey's American 
organ. The seats on the left are for the committee and others 
taking part in the service. On and around the platform were 
hundreds of leading men of all the evangelical communions, min- 
isters and laymen ; and it struck me that the Congregational and 
Presbyterian churches were represented in special strength, es- 
pecially the former body. The Earl of Cavan and Lord Rad- 
stock occupied seats on the platform. 

At seven o'clock Rev. Thain Davidson gave out the hymn, " I 
hear Thy welcome voice," and the volume of sound which rose 
from the audience indicated that it was a familiar strain to the 
most of the people present. Then, after a brief interval, the hymn. 




184 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

" Tell me the old, old story of Jesus and His love," was finely 
sung by the choir, which was composed of two hundred voices. 
At half-past seven to a moment, Mr. Moody stepped on to the 
dais, while Mr. Sankey took his place at the organ; and the for- 
mer, in the least conventional of voices, said, "Let us rise anc 
sing to the praise of God. Let us praise Him for what He is 
going to do in London." The response, as the people sung the 
familiar Doxology, was thrilling ; and no sooner had the straii 
ceased than the Rev. Mr. Billing, the incumbent of the nearest 
church, offered prayer. " We bless Thee, that we have seen thi< 
day and this hour," he said ; and hundreds gave audible vent to 
a thanksgiving that was uttered with deep fervor. Very hearty, 
too, were the "Amens" which followed the request that God 
might be pleased to " speak to all London " by the mouth of His 
servants from the other side of the sea. Mr. Moody gave out the 
Scotch version of the hundredth Psalm, Mr. Sankey saying, " Let 
us rise and sing. Let all the people sing." To all, but more 
especially to the Scottish friends, that was a soul-stirring strain. 

Mr. Moody then stated that he had that day received despatches 
from all the great cities in Britain, letting him know that the peo- 
ple were praying for London. All their expectations must be in 
vain unless they were depending upon God. He therefore asked 
them to spend a few moments in silent prayer. Hereupon a 
great calm fell upon the assembly, and every head was bowed. 
In a minute or two the hush was broken by the voice of Mr. 
Moody, who prayed that God's blessing might rest upon the work 
on which they were now entering, and that many might be encour- 
aged to go out and labor in this dark city. " It is a great city," 
he said, " but Thou art a great God. May we ask great things, 
and expect them." He gave special thanks for the many minis- 
ters present, and prayed that there might be " no strife among 
the herdmen." Mr. Sankey then sang the solo, "Jesus of Naza- 
reth passeth by," explaining before he did so that it was simply a 
Christian song. " May the Lord bless the singing of this song 
here, as He has blessed it elsewhere," said Mr. Sankey, and he 
requested the people to keep very still. The first stanza, and 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 85 

especially the line, " What means this strange commotion ? " was 
thrilling in its effect • but a slight disturbance in a distant part 
of the hall somewhat marred the closing verses. At the end 
of the piece some present began to applaud ; but they were 
instantly rebuked into silence by a murmured " Hush ! " from 
thousands of lips. 

On Wednesday evening the second meeting was held in the 
Agricultural Hall. The attendance was not nearly so large as on 
the first evening, resulting from the fact that Mr. Moody requested 
the doors to be closed at half-past seven, thus preventing many 
thousands who were unable to attend so early from gaining ad- 
mission. 

It was speedily apparent that great blessing from on high was 
present in that meeting. The address was full of power ; anec- 
dote, illustration, Scripture entreaty, persuasion, succeeded each 
other again and again, with lightning speed and force, while the 
vast audience listened intently. As the interest heightened, and 
story after story was told, many could be seen wiping the tears 
openly, apparently unconscious of what they were doing. The 
graphic picture of the meeting of Bartimeus and Zaccheus, after 
the former had been healed, was thoroughly enjoyed ; and the 
quiet hit at those "who don't believe in sudden conversions," in 
the statement that Zaccheus " was converted between the branches 
and the ground," was greatly enjoyed. The story that followed, 
of " the young man converted on his mother's grave," gave occa- 
sion for an impassioned appeal to turn to Jesus then and there. 
Silent prayer followed the conclusion of the address; and, amid 
a hush that was almost awful, the sound of music floated on the 
air, and Mr. Sankey sang softly, "Come home — come home." 
Every head bowed, thousands earnestly praying, while the soft 
music seemed to enter into the very souls of that mass of human- 
ity, bowing and swaying even the hardest to thoughts of repent- 
ance and prayer. Then Lord Radstock concluded with prayer, 
and the hymn, " I hear Thy welcome voice," was sung as Mr. 
Moody went from the Hall to the first inquiry-meeting in London. 
Many hundreds followed him, but whether workers or inquirers 



1 86 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

did not at the time appear, and it is far too early yet to speak of 
results. 

On Thursday Mr. Moody presided for the second time at the 
noon prayer-meeting. There was also a falling off in the attend- 
ance here compared with the day before ; but the great Hall was 
nearly filled, and would doubtlessly have been filled to overflow- 
ing during the service had the doors remained open. Mr. Moody 
was just a very little bitter in saying, " I don't know what some 
men would do at a Pentecost," or his earnestness seemed intensi- 
fied to bitterness ; but this disappeared when he spoke of a boy 
of fourteen with a Bible under his arm, whom he had met in the 
inquiry-room the previous night, and asked as to his presence 
there. The boy replied that he was a Christian, hoped to meet 
some little boy like himself to tell about Jesus. Afterward the 
boy was seen kneeling with another in a corner. Mr. Sankey 
also spoke earnestly in defence of the inquiry-room — asking ob- 
jectors to visit and see for themselves, instead of finding fault 
beforehand ; adding, warmly, " It don't take half a man to find 
fault." The meeting ended as usual ; but after its close there 
appeared to be an impromptu reunion of nearly all the evangeli- 
cal workers in London, the resemblance being almost perfect to 
one of the evening conferences at Mildmay Park. 

The third evening service was much more largely attended 
than the second. Much better order was observed than at the 
commencement of the previous evening, the meeting being admi- 
rably controlled. The address was most solemn and searching 
in character, concluding with an exhortation to immediate and 
final decision. Mr. Moody ended his discourse by prayer. Then 
" Safe in the arms of Jesus " was sung; then silent prayer; next, 
" Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah ! " then the benediction and 
the inquiry-meeting. 

On Friday the great hall for the noon prayer-meeting had a glo- 
rious gathering, and there were quite as many present as on the 
previous day, but notably men; the ladies could not face the ter- 
rible cold and sleet. 

After singing, a gentleman spoke earnestly of the way and the 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 87 

need of working for Jesus. He was followed by another, who 
told a touching story of how the lost are found in London. A 
tract-distributor offered a man a tract on Waterloo Bridge ; it 
was declined with the remark, " I shall be in hell before night "; 
the words were heard and answered, " No, you will not, for Tin 
going to heaven, and will stick to you all day." They left the 
bridge together, the hungry man was supplied with food and 
taken to a place of worship. There he fell asleep. " Perhaps 
he has been walking all night," said his friend ; " let him sleep ! " 
Service over, he was conveyed home to supper, inquiring con- 
cerning all this kindness, "Whaf s up?" He was fed, tended, 
reasoned with, instructed, and brought to the way of heaven, 
instead of being in hell, as he had said. 

So ends the first three of Mr. Moody's noon prayer-meetings 
and the first three nights of work in London. And it is simple 
truth to state, that such meetings were never held before in Lon- 
don, if ever they were in the world's history. In three days of 
noon and evening service, about eighty thousand have listened to 
the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Well might Mr. Moody 
express his thankfulness to God — the encouragement he had 
received and felt, and his deep sense of the sympathy and help 
extended to him and his colleague in their great work. Well 
might he dissolve in broken accents and tears of entreaty for a 
rich blessing on himself and those who, laboring with him, will 
share his eternal rest and reward. Surely, when bankers and 
rich merchants, and ministers holding high official positions, 
are content to be doorkeepers, it must be said, "We never saw 
it after this fashion," and this was exactly the case at the door of 
Exeter Hall yesterday. 

Mr. Moody took for his text Isa. lv. 6, stating for two evenings 
he had dwelt on man seeking God, but now he would speak of 
God seeking man ; yet recommending earnestness in seeking 
God by many touching incidents and suggestions. This, among 
others, he thought "the dying thief might have had a praying 
mother." He also turned to the ministers around him and asked, 
" Did they believe that God was present, and willing to save ? " 



1 88 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

and was instantly answered by an audible "Yes. ? ' A tearful, 
impassioned appeal followed to all classes to seek the Lord, and 
He would assuredly be found. Silent prayer succeeded, and 
Mr. Sankey sang "Almost persuaded." Then the audience were 
dismissed, and all anxious, and all workers, were invited to 
remain, an invitation that was accepted by several thousands 1 
The whole space under the arched room was occupied by seekers 
and workers, while the responses to earnest prayers rolled around 
like the deep tones of the great sea waves at night. The Lord 
was there. Inquirer after inquirer made themselves manifest, 
until there were scores in the inquiry-room, and scores remaining 
in the hall speaking with the workers there. In the inquiry- 
room were seekers and workers in every direction, and very many 
found peace in believing. One fine young man fell to the lot of 
the writer, and it was emphatically good to watch the dawning of 
divine truth on the mind, as shown in the intelligent face — to see 
the look of anxiety and fear give place to the knowledge and love 
of God — to watch the birth of the soul to eternal life bring forth 
that look of brightness on the face which is never seen from any 
other cause. One young lady said " she was so happy, she seemed 
to tread on air "; and in instance after instance the testimony 
grew and multiplied, till we could only rejoice in believing that 
numbers were born again — not of corruptible seed, but of the 
incorruptible, which liveth and abideth for ever. Then the long, 
happy evening closed by Mr. Moody calling the workers 
together, and giving some brotherly advice and counsel concern- 
ing the details of work in the inquiry-room. 

Oh for the time of blessing ! Oh for the rain upon the weary ! 
Oh for the coming, in mightiest power, of the loving Spirit and the 
King our Brother, among the ruined and lost — among the weary 
and burdened laborers on this rough and stony ground ! Our 
Father, hear and answer Thy children's heart-cry, for Jesus' sake ! 

On Sunday morning, March 14, the usual unbroken quiet of 
Islington experienced a striking change. From every direction 
solitaires, couples, and bands of well-dressed people were hasten- 
ing to the Agricultural Hall. Many parties of singers had 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 



l8 9 



arranged to meet in their different localities, and marched with 
songs to their destination. Sunday-school teachers resident in 
the line of march near to the Hall had invited their fellow-laborers 
to breakfast at a very unusual hour ; while the vendors of hymns 
and papers round the Hall took their usual week-day positions, 
and transacted a large amount of buying and selling, to which 
multitudes made strong and indignant objection. Pouring in at 
all the entrances to the Hall, there was speedily convened such 
a gathering of its Christian workers as London had never seen. 
It was a complete reunion. Friends, whom the exigencies of 
work had separated for years, met and clasped hands once more ; 
young men grown old in service met with others in like condition, 
whom they had labored with in years of strength • and comely 
matrons' faces were recognized as those of former girls in Sunday- 
schools. Long before all old friends could be recognized and 
greeted, the time for the service arrived, and the evangelists stood 
face to face with many thousands of the Christian workers of the 
great metropolis for the first time. 

Cool, prompt, and business-like as ever, Mr. Moody announced 
the first song would be " Hold the fort," which was sung with a 
vigor that left nothing to be desired. 

Mr. Moody narrated a striking instance of a Sunday-school 
superintendent who was not converted, but finding this to be so, 
went honestly to his minister and offered to resign. The minister 
suggested a more excellent way — that the superintendent should 
first turn to the Lord at once and then continue his labors. 
This was done ; he turned to the willing Saviour, and then became 
the means of the conversion of the teachers and a great revival in 
the school. It was the duty of each Christian— «0/ duty, but privi- 
lege (Away with mere duty ! we did not talk of duty to wives and 
mothers, and why in religion ?) — to speak to some person daily. 
For twelve years there had scarcely been a day in which he had 
not done this. Seek out friends, and bring them into the current, 
that they might get a blessing and pass it on. We must also get 
into sympathy with the unsaved. When he was laboring in the 
school at Chicago, a teacher, who was going away to die, came to 



190 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

him in bitter trouble about his unconverted class. He felt his 
strength too far gone to visit them ; they were unsaved, and he 
was leaving them — going away, for ever. Mr. Moody procured a 
carriage, and they went together day after day for ten days, until 
the teacher had seen all, pleaded with all, and won them all for 
Jesus. The tearful eyes, the pale face, and the deep sympathy 
had triumphed for Christ ! Then they all met him on the plat- 
form, and the wave of his hand from the carriage was a last, long 
farewell. The effect produced by this narration was very deep. 
Sobs and tears were almost universal The ministers on the plat- 
form were wiping both eyes and glasses, and some were literally 
scooping away the tears with their hands. Strong men were weep- 
ing like children, and the speaker himself wept abundantly as 
he remembered and depicted the touching scene. Yes, he con- 
tinued, we must get in sympathy — make their case ours, their 
troubles and sorrows ours, and then we shall have prevailing 
power. He spoke of a poor mother, whose child had been 
drowned in procuring drift-wood from the river, and whom he 
visited along with his little daughter. " If that was me," said my 
child, " wouldn't you feel bad, father ? Don't you feel bad for the 
poor mother ? " This unlocked the springs of sympathy, and I 
did feel bad for her. I found a grave for the poor child, and after- 
ward bought ground for a Sunday-school lot, to bury a hundred 
of our poor little scholars. In the midst of a most striking scene 
of w r eeping, such as that hall had never seen before, the address 
concluded, and Mr. Moody attempted to pray. So deeply was he 
moved, that he was compelled to pause in his prayer, amid dead 
silence, to recover himself, and be able to proceed. Then we 
sang, "Work, for the night is coming," and the benediction 
ended the first workers' meeting. 

On Sunday afternoon, at three, the first special meeting for 
women was held. There were, at the lowest computation, about 
17,000 women present; and the power of the Spirit was clearly 
there : tears and sobs and repressed cries, anxious faces, low, 
earnest words and entreaties for mercy were all around, as the 
discourse proceeded from point to point. God was the preacher 






MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. I9I 

of this sermon, said Mr. Moody ; and though the first audience 
was small, the sermon has come rolling down the ages, and many, 
I hope, are asking themselves this question now. I am speaking 
to professors, to backsliders, and to those who never made pro- 
fession, but all equally lost. Then all sang the hymn, " Lord, I 
hear of showers of blessing," and the meeting closed to allow 
inquirers to gather. Such a number accepted the invitation 
that the large inquiry-room could not contain them, and many 
were spoken to in the bitter cold without the room. 

The evening service was simply a repetition of the afternoon, 
but for men only, instead of women. Thousands of women, 
nevertheless, accompanied their male friends in hope of admis- 
sion, but were disappointed — they could not be admitted. 
Nevertheless, the building was filled to its utmost capacity, and 
the doors were closed nearly an hour before the service com- 
menced. The would-be infidel orator of London is in the habit 
of saying that " Religion is an affair of priests and women." 
Never again will he be able to repeat that taunt, after the meeting 
on Sunday evening last, when nearly 15,000 men of London were held 
breathless by the simple preaching and singing of the Gospel of Christ. 
Before the address was delivered, Mr. Sankey sang " Jesus of 
Nazareth passeth by "; himself singing the verses, and the vast 
multitude joining in singing the last line in each verse, thus pro- 
ducing the effect of one of the mightiest choruses ever sung on 
earth. After the address the inquiry-room was opened, while 
the meeting in the hall continued with praise and prayer. 

So great had been the effect produced, so large was the number 
of inquirers who were not "priests" or "women," that there 
were not enough workers present to deal with them. Nor can 
this be wondered at. Christians had been entreated and 
enjoined to stay away, that the unconverted might have all the 
room ; and this request was too literally obeyed. 

St. Mary's Hall is a large concert-room, with chairs on the 
floor fronting the platform, and a deep gallery round the sides 
and end of the hall. Mr. Moody divided the inquirers, leaving 
the women on the basement, and sending the men into the gal- 



192 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

lery, and directed the workers to divide in the same way. All 
round the gallery were men in twos and threes, to the number of 
two or three hundred — each couple or three separated from their 
neighbors, and earnestly engaged in their own work, without tak- 
ing any notice of those near and around. Here was a couple 
discussing a difficulty in the way. There another couple earnestly 
reading passages of God's Word. Next was one pleading ear- 
nestly with another. Next one whose work was done, as the close, 
loving hand-clasp showed. Many were striving together in prayer, 
two by two. Here a worker earnestly asking for the light to come. 
There another pressing the inquirer to pray for himself, and 
others praying earnestly together. The writer had the pleasure 
of speaking with three in succession. The first was a young man 
who had made long, wearying endeavor to work out salvation ; he 
had been trying hard to come to Jesus, but neither work nor trial 
had brought the assurance of faith. To one so much in earnest 
it was most pleasant to show salvation as the gift of God, and a 
little patience was richly rewarded by the dawning of the light. 
Then said he, " I see it now ; please to leave me alone with God!" 
Most reverently and willingly this was done, and the second was 
spoken to ; he also promised to accept the gift, and left to kneel 
before the Lord in seeking, as he was compelled to go. The 
third had long had a form of godliness, but neither its power nor 
hope — he was just a sleeping nominal church-member, who did 
not wish to be disturbed. He had wandered into the inquiry- 
room, thinking it was public, and he should hear an address. 
Unable to deal satisfactorily with him, the attention of another 
brother was called to him, and we passed on round the gallery. 
On returning, this one was praying earnestly, the second was gone, 
and the face of the first showed better than any words that he had 
lost his burden. Passing below to leave, a lady who was talking 
to three working-girls claimed help, as help had been claimed in the 
case above. We held conversation, and speedily all three declared 
themselves on the Lord's side ; and the bright, earnest young 
faces glowed with the thought of the gift received, and the " cove- 
nant unto death " with Jesus. As we saw, so we heard of many 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 93 

to whom light and peace came ; nor was it the least impressive 
to mark how willingly help was given and received, how entirely 
absent were evidences of self and self-seeking. Conversions all 
around, an atmosphere of prayer and the Word of God, the sub- 
dued hum of conversation with each other, and converse with the 
Father through the Son, gave a sense of " nearness of access," of 
personal presence, of a very present and loving help, that was as 
sweet as it was solemn. Verily it " was good to be there ! " It 
was just eleven o'clock when, after three hours of delightful ser- 
vice, "the labor was done, and the laborers gone home." 

The Christian World thus summarizes the first month's 
work : 

To-day the American evangelists, whose names are on every 
lip, enter upon the second month of their London campaign. 
They have all but completed the series of meetings at the Agri- 
cultural Hall, in Islington, designed more especially for the benefit 
of the people dwelling in the great northern region of the metrop- 
olis ; and now they are about to enter on the daily occupation of 
a building specially erected for their accommodation at the East 
End. From week to week we have furnished our readers with 
full reports of the proceedings. In this way the public have been 
enabled to obtain a comprehensive, and we believe accurate, view 
of a series of meetings that certainly stand without a parallel in 
the religious annals of England. We may not be able to say, with 
a respected contemporary, that Mr. Moody is the modern Wycliffe 
— a name we should rather assign, if we used it at all, to a great 
English preacher who has been proclaiming the Gospel to multi- 
tudes in London every week for more than twenty-one years. 
Neither are we prepared to coincide with the magnanimous asser- 
tion of a Wesleyan Methodist journal, that this movement puts 
the revival which was wrought by Whitfield and Wesley into the 
shade, in respect, at least, to the numbers brought under the 
sound of the Gospel. These are statements, as it seems to us, 
which would require to be greatly qualified before they could be 
accepted by thoughtful men. Yet, without going the length of 
our too exuberant friends, we can testify that the success of the 
9 



194 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

gatherings over which Mr. Moody presides has been simply mar- 
velous, and in its way quite unexampled, either within the mem- 
ory of living men, or in all that has been recorded by the pen of 
the English historian of the Christian Church. Whatever may be 
the view he takes of the work, as to its true spiritual significance 
and value, every candid onlooker must acknowledge that the 
present is a phenomenon which cannot be too carefully scanned, 
or too fully described by the contemporary journalist. It will 
unquestionably claim for itself a chapter of no inconsiderable 
magnitude in the book that deals with the religious history of 
England in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Some 
little service to the future, as well as to the present-day reader, 
may, therefore, be rendered by an attempt to gather up the salient 
points in the story of the first month spent by Messrs. Moody 
and Sankey in London. 

And first of all we have to note the sustained, and it would 
even seem growing, interest which the public take in the meet- 
ings. Every day at noon Exeter Hall has been well filled ; often 
it has been crowded, and there is no symptom of any falling off 
in the attendance, while it may be confidently expected that when 
the prayer-meeting is transferred, as it will be on Monday next, 
to Her Majesty's Opera House, the audience will be as great as 
that building is able to contain. That the interest in the primary 
purpose of the noon-gathering has not declined is made manifest 
by many pleasing tokens. Not the least eloquent of these was 
the statement made by Mr. Moody on Wednesday last, that the 
requests for prayer received that morning numbered no fewer 
than 1 80. The reports of spiritual work achieved in connection 
with the movement, not only in London, but also in the provinces, 
have been multiplying daily; and these form a feature of the 
proceedings at Exeter Hall which does much to keep alive the 
interest and to intensify the fervor of the assembly. Then there 
has been the appearance of new speakers from day to day — wit- 
nesses to the reality of the revival in Scotland, Ireland, and pro- 
vincial towns of England. When the meeting is thrown open to 
volunteers, the result has not always been edifying; but Mr. 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 95 

Moody, as a shrewd and ready-witted president, keeps the most 
of the time well occupied with a swift and flowing succession of 
song, prayer, and exhortation, so that the hour seems to all pres- 
ent to be only too short, and is obviously most refreshing to their 
spirits. Mr. Moody is, perhaps, seen at his best at Exeter Hall. 
Some of his short addresses there have been gems of pithy expo- 
sition ; and his occasional quaint bits of self-defence, and frequent 
touches of mingled humor and pathos, have been remarkably 
effective. People from the country have formed a distinctly per- 
ceptible element in the congregation ; and we cannot doubt that 
these, along with the city brethren, have derived useful hints from 
Mr. Moody's method for the conduct of prayer-meetings in their 
own places of worship. In this way, we think it likely that a 
great deal of good may be done. 

The three afternoon meetings held at Sanger's (formerly Ast- 
ley's) Amphitheatre were among the most successful of all the 
gatherings, and are said to have been the most fruitful in spiritual 
results. The place could not hold all the people who flocked to 
them ; and a proportionately larger number of the " lapsed 
masses " were to be seen in these South-side gatherings than in 
the assemblies at the Agricultural Hall. The two afternoon 
Bible-readings — the first held in the Conference Hall at Mildmay 
Park, and the second at Exeter, and to both of which admission 
was procured only by ticket — were crammed, and they seemed to 
be greatly enjoyed. 

As for the great meetings, those held every night (with the 
exception of Saturday) at the Agricultural Hall, and thrice on 
Sunday in the same enormous edifice, they have continued to 
attract an average attendance of at least eleven or twelve thou- 
sand clown to the very last. On the two nights when the address 
was not given by Mr. Moody there was a great falling off in the 
congregation. On Good Friday the Times "felt bound" to 
express its " strong conviction that the interest of the meetings 
was rapidly falling off; " but the facts do not sustain this view. 
The largest congregations have assembled within the last ten 
days; and these have included all ranks and classes of society. 



196 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Royalty itself, in the person of her Royal Highness the Duchess 
of Teck, has expressed its intention to come since the leading 
journal proclaimed the turning of the tide. On one evening 
there were at least sixty clergymen of the Establishment present, 
with Dean Stanley occupying a conspicuous seat on the platform ; 
and on the night of Good Friday the evangelical Earl of Shaftes- 
bury sat on the same chair which a few evenings before had been 
occupied by the Broad Church Dean. Lord Shaftesbury, at the 
close of the service, paid a visit, along with his daughters, to the 
inquiry-room.' In respect to the numbers of the Agricultural 
Hall congregation, the floor of the building is capable of seating 
9,000 persons ; the raised platform for the choir and ministers, 
250; the eastern side gallery, 900; the western side gallery, 
1,000 ; the upper raised gallery in front of the platform, 1,350; 
the balcony in front, 850 ; and the upper western balcony, 350. 
Even on moderate computation, it would seem that about 350,000 
must have been the total of the numbers present at the Agricul- 
tural Hall services during the month ; though it must be borne 
in mind that very many persons were frequent, and not a few 
constant, attenders. It would probably be a liberal allowance if 
we were to say that 200,000 separate individuals were present. 
The arrangements made by the committee for the comfort of the 
congregation and the preservation of order have, from first to 
last, been admirable. 

With respect to the inquiry-rooms, they have been largely 
attended every night by Christian friends, clerical and lay ; and 
the penitents pressing in for spiritual advice have, on many occa- 
sions, numbered several hundreds. But there has been no more 
excitement there than in the public service ; indeed, the proceed- 
ings have been more subdued, and a quiet, solemn earnestness 
has characterized all that has been done in connection with this 
part of the work. Several gentlemen taking part in it have tes- 
tified to the good accomplished ; and Mr. Sankey in particular, 
who is active in the inquiry-room, describes the work of which he 
was witness on Sunday week, and on every succeeding night, as 
being in the highest degree encouraging. Many Christian work- 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 1 97 

ers, though not so many as Mr. Moody desires to see, have scat- 
tered themselves among the great audience at the ordinary ser- 
vices, for the purpose of speaking a word to their unconverted 
neighbors ; and a case has been mentioned in which the young 
ladies of a certain seminary have, in this way, been instrumental 
in leading twenty individuals to the Saviour. With this we may 
bracket the case of a lady who took her ten servants to one of the 
services, and who reports that seven of these have been, in con- 
sequence, converted to God. Mr. Moody has detailed instances 
of persons brought to a knowledge of God in the inquiry-room 
one night, and appearing on the next with friends whom they 
desired to see sharing the peace which they had secured. Since 
the second Sunday a young men's meeting has been held every 
night at St. Mary's Hall, immediately after the public service ; 
and latterly this feature has come more conspicuously into view, 
and been more pressingly urged upon the attention of the class 
referred to by Mr. Moody, who is ambitious of securing a band 
of at least a thousand to assist him in his work. 

The meetings in the East End of London were held in the Bow- 
road Hall and a tent pitched close by. Here the rich and- poor 
congregated, and God graciously poured out His Spirit. In the 
West End the Royal Opera House, in the Haymarket, was ob- 
tained. In South London Camberwell Hall was specially pro- 
vided for the immense multitudes sure to gather. 

During the greater part of April services had been conducted 
daily in each of the four divisions of the metropolis. Messrs. 
Moody and Sankey have divided their labors almost equally be- 
tween the East and the West Ends — officiating at Her Majesty's 
Opera House, in the Haymarket, at the daily noon pra)^er-meet- 
ing, and also at an afternoon Bible-reading, while in the evening 
they have generally been present at the service in the Bow-road Hall. 
On two evenings of each week they have returned to the Agricul- 
tural Hall in Islington. The first week after their departure 
from that hall the services there were conducted by Rev. William 
Taylor of California ; but the attendance instantly dropped from 
12,000 to 2,000, and sank to as low as 1,000 before the week was 



I9 8 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

done. In the second week Mr. Taylor was succeeded by the 
Rev. W. H. M. Aitken (Episcopalian) of Liverpool, who secured 
much larger congregations, there being occasionally as many as 
5,000 and 6,000 present to hear him ; and at the Victoria Thea- 
tre, on the South side, Mr. Taylor held daily meetings, where his 
labors would appear to be better appreciated than they were at 
Islington. The prayer-meeting at the Opera House has not been 
so well attended, on the whole, as that at Exeter Hall ; but the 
Bible-readings have attracted great congregations, these including 
many members of fashionable society, led by Her Royal High- 
ness the Princess of Wales, who was present on Thursday, April 
15. In an article on "The American Revivalists in England," 
the New York Independmt says : " We presume that the aristoc- 
racy and the literati will scarce hear of the movement that is 
about them. It is an after-generation that builds the monuments 
of the prophets. Bunyan got no words of honor from the Duke 
of Bedford, whose descendant has lately set up his statue." Sev- 
eral months before these words were written, Mr. Moody had 
sojourned as a guest within the walls of Dunrobin Castle, the 
northern seat of the Duke of Sutherland ; and weeks before, he 
had dined with the Lord Chancellor of England at Bournemouth. 
At his first meeting in the Agricultural Hall he was assisted by 
a peer of the realm, and other noblemen took part in subsequent 
gatherings, while Lord Cairns, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and many 
other members of the aristocracy, formed part of his audience. 
The favor with which his labors are regarded by a large section 
of the nobility has been still more conspicuously displayed since 
the opening of the services in the Haymarket, and especially 
since the visit paid by the Princess of Wales. Standing some- 
what in the same relation to Mr. Moody that the Countess of 
Huntingdon did to Whitefield, her Grace the Duchess of Suther- 
land has been well-nigh a daily attender, accompanied sometimes 
by her daughter and Lady Constance Leveson-Gower. Twice 
last week the Duke and Duchess of St. Albans were seen in the 
royal box ; the Prince Teck has also been present, and so have 
the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the Countess of Gains- 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 



199 



borough, Lady "Dudley, Lord and Lady Rendlesham (the latter a 
daughter of the late popular Earl of Eglington), and many more 
of the " upper ten thousand." To crown all, it is alleged, not 
only that Lord Dudley interested himself in securing the Opera 
House for the American evangelists, but that his lordship was en- 
couraged to do this by no less a personage than the Heir Apparent. 

The following is given as the number of meetings and aggre- 
gate attendance during the four months that Mr. Moody has been 
in London : 

In Camberwell, sixty meetings, attended by 480,000 people; 
in Victoria, forty-five meetings, attended by 400,000 ; in the Opera 
House, sixty meetings, attended by 330,000; in Bow, sixty meet- 
ings, attended by 600,000 ; and in Agricultural Hall, sixty meet- 
ings, attended by 720,000. The amount of money expended for 
buildings, printing, stewards, etc., is $140,000. Messrs. Moody 
and Sankey have declined to receive any compensation from the 
committee. It is stated that a prominent business man has 
bought the Victoria Theatre, and intends to fit it up for religious 
work. 

Inquirers multiplied ; young men's meetings were held ; thou- 
sands of children were gathered. A great array of workers went 
out, two by two, to visit every house in London with the Gospel. 
Every text Mr. Moody quoted was an arrow from God's bow 
which went straight to the heart; every song from Mr. Sankey 
won some soul ; every appeal persuaded some heart to yield to 
Christ ; every meeting swelled the throng of converts. The 
mighty movement swept from one end of London to the other. 

As the evangelists left one quarter of the city for another, the 
meetings were continued in the localities left, until, when Mr. 
Moody, during the last month, was at Camberwell Green Hall in 
the South, Major Cole was at the Victoria Theatre in the West, 
Henry Varley at the Bow-road Hall in the East, while Henry 
Drummond was holding his young men's meetings with great 
success. Notwithstanding all these great meetings, numbering 
often many thousands, the central meetings under our two 
brethren moved on with Wonderful power and success. 



200 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

As the last week drew to a close, the interest became intense. 
On the last night, Mr. Moody became very earnest and urgent 
in his appeals to the vast and intensely interested audience, to 
accept Christ. "Just let me pause here," he said. "Ask your- 
selves whether you ought not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ 
now? Who is there in this assembly who will receive the gift 
of God and be saved ? " After a brief pause, a voice came from 
the left-hand gallery, somewhat faintly, " I will." It was speed- 
ily followed by others from all parts of the house. " Well," con- 
tinued Mr. Moody, "thank God for that. I am just passing 
around the cup of salvation. Who else will take it? " "I will," 
" I will," " I will," " I will," came resounding on every hand. 
" That's right, my boy," replied he, speaking to a little fellow 
down in front of him, whose " I will " came up to the platform 
with the rest. " Will the Christians keep on praying ? Men 
do not speak out like this unless God is at work. Who else will 
accept the gift of God ? " Again came a perfect volume of 
" I will's." " Would it not be a glorious thing if every man 
here would take it to-night? Is there another?" "I will." 
"Another?" "I will." "How many are to-night willing to 
stand up before God and man, and say by that act that they will 
join us in our journey to heaven ? You that are willing to take 
Christ now, would you just rise ? " A mighty army of men rose 
to their feet at once. " Why not three thousand ? The God of 
Pentecost still lives ! " Numbers more stood up, until one could 
scarce distinguish between those sitting and those standing. 
Mr. Moody prayed and said, "and now we will sing ' Safe in the 
arms of Jesus.' " Multitudes flocked into . the inquiry-room, 
where there was a scene of ingathering never to be forgotten 
by those who were present. A fitting close to the labors of our 
brethren in Great Britain. Their work had continued without 
interruption through two years and three weeks. They had held 
meetings in perhaps a hundred cities and villages. They had 
personally attended between two and three thousand services. 

Mr. Roberts, of New York, writing from London, says : " The 
places of most interest for over two months are those where the 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 201 

meetings of Moody and Sankey, the American evangelists, are 
held. I had heard of them before leaving home, but I was not 
prepared for what I heard and saw at these vast assemblages, 
which I attended several days twice, and sometimes thrice a day. 
I was present at Agricultural Hall, when there were from twelve 
to fifteen thousand persons present. Last Sunday evening the 
room was crammed full, and I had to stand an hour and a half. 
Though there were so many inside, thousands went away. The 
Lord Chancellor (Cairns), with his wife, was present. They are 
both, I was told, devoutly pious, attending several of the meet- 
ings with a number of the nobility and eminent men, including 
Gladstone. 

" It is a grand sight to see such a vast audience ; and when 
they unite in singing, it is thrilling beyond anything I have ever 
heard. 

" The text was, ' Come thou and all thy house into the ark ' 
(Genesis vii.). He handled it remarkably well, and I was told 
the discourse was more effective than in the morning, which was 
based on the story of Naaman (2 Kings v.). 

" He usually preached from thirty to forty-five minutes, in a 
very clear voice, enunciating distinctly, presenting the truth very 
plainly, earnestly, and pungently, appealing to the heart and con- 
science, without any effort to excite animal feeling ; and at all 
these meetings there was an entire absence of fanaticism. The 
people are absorbed by what is said, and there is nothing noisy or 
demonstrative, though nearly all join in the singing of hymns full 
of Gospel truth, to simple melodious airs. 

" Sankey leads the singing usually, and generally sings a solo 
at every service, ' Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,' or the ' Ninety 
and nine,' based on the parable of the lost sheep. His voice is 
so powerful as to be heard easily by such large assemblages, for 
he enunciates every word in a remarkably sweet voice. 

"The music is, no doubt, a great help to the preaching, the 
main element of which is Christ, as set forth in the Bible sent 
home to the souls of rich and poor, high and low, the educated 
and the ignorant, by the Spirit of God ; for, in my opinion, there 



202 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

is no other way of accounting for the assembling of such vast 
multitudes three or four times daily for weeks and months. 

" While I was in London, Moody held a noon prayer-meeting 
at the Queen's Opera House, Haymarket, at which, I think, 
fifteen hundred attended — preaching there at three and seven 
p. m., when the house was filled from top to bottom. At eight 
and a half he preached at East London in a large hall, accom- 
modating some twelve thousand. How he endures such great 
and constant mental and physical labors I cannot understand. 

" Thus, substantial^, he has worked for over two months in 
London, and in about like manner for nearly two years in various 
places in Great Britain. He appears very robust — I think larger 
around the chest than any man I ever saw, and every time I 
heard him, what he said was fresh. 

"At the large meetings hundreds stood up for prayers, and 
entered the inquiry-rooms, where Christians conversed with 
them. 

" This was a large hall, nearly filled with groups of inquirers, 
two to four attending to the instruction of men and women, each 
of their own sex ; and while some were conversing, other groups 
were kneeling and praying in a low tone. Thousands remained 
in the audience-room praying and singing, where every Chris- 
tian was requested, in their places, to speak to his or her neigh- 
bor suitable words, if they had no hope in Christ. I spoke to 
two young persons near me, and found they were both indulging 
hope. 

" It reminded me of the efforts of this kind in the early days of 
Brainerd Church. 

" Sometimes the scenes of 1831 were brought vividly before 
me, and I have a conviction that the means used by Moody and 
Sankey, and the preaching, are very like those so much blessed 
in our country for eight or ten years subsequent to 1825, of which 
probably Mr. Nettleton was the most prominent author. The 
same pungent, direct manner of presenting truth, enforced by 
apposite illustrations, which all could understand, accompanied 
by singing of hymns containing fundamental truths, in melodious 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 



203 



and simple tunes, nearly the whole congregation joining. No 
doubt you will recall the Village Hymn Book compiled by Mr. 
Nettleton. 

" I cannot but hope this is the beginning of a new era, showing 
our ministers that, as Spurgeon said the other day at Exeter Hall 
(referring to these meetings), he had no fear of them, for the 
''Bible was kept in the front? 

" I do not undervalue learning, but it must be kept secondary 
to the Bible, the Sword of the Spirit, which is almost the only 
weapon Moody uses with so much effect. 

" But I must close, though I have not said half I might on this 
subject." 

It must be conceded that this was the most wonderful series of 
revival meetings ever held in the world. In the union of all 
God's people ; in the mighty but perfectly quiet workings of 
God's Spirit ; in the honor put upon God's simple word ; in the 
dependence put upon prayer, and the simplest agencies ; in the 
earnestness with which Christians labored, and the liberality 
with which they gave their money ; in the multitudes which 
everywhere flocked to the services ; in the wide extent of the 
work, in the readiness with which men received the Gospel ; in 
the number of conversions ; in every aspect of it, the movement 
is without a parallel in the history of Christianity. It seems to 
betoken a world-wide revival of religion. 

Sunday, July 11. — Last Day. — How shall we write of it? 
Fresh from the meeting in the evening, we feel how inadequate 
are human words to portray that most marvelous close of a no 
less marvelous season of revival throughout our land. 

The doors for the morning service were opened at half-past 
six, and by seven o'clock the hall was comfortably full. An hour 
yet intervened before the commencement of the service, and the 
time was profitably and pleasantly occupied with a service of song 
from the familiar book. About half-past seven it was announced 
that there were thousands outside, some of them from a great 
distance, and if the audience would kindly sit more closely, a few 
hundreds more might be got in. The request was good-naturedly 



204 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

complied with at once, and room made for a few more. For the 
great numbers who were unable to get admission, an overflow- 
meeting was held in the Presbyterian church close by, and was 
addressed by Dr. A. Bonar, of Glasgow. 

Shortly before eight o'clock Mr. Sankey appeared, and delighted 
the audience with a few solos. Before singing " I am praying for 
you," he said he hoped in the days to Come they would not for- 
get to pray for Mr. Moody and himself when they were gone." 

In consequence of the crowd at the gates, Mr. Moody could 
not gain an entrance, and had to be conveyed through a private 
house opening from the back upon the site of the building. This 
delayed the opening of the service till about ten minutes past 
eight o'clock — a thing altogether unusual at these gatherings, as 
one of the most noticeable features of them has been the punctu- 
ality observed by our brethren. 

Mr. Sankey having sung " Only an Armor-bearer," the audi- 
ence swelling out in the chorus, very earnest prayer was offered, 
making special reference to the occasion. 

Mr. Moody then delivered his well-known address on " Daniel," 
beginning with the secret of his wonderful success, which he at- 
tributed to his being able to say " No " at the right moment. He 
sketched the eventful career of this man, "beloved of God," 
through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius, 
showing how he was delivered from all the many snares laid for 
him by his enemies, because he was faithful to God and His com- 
mandments. The history of Daniel in the telling of it rouses Mr. 
Moody's enthusiasm, which he succeeds in a large degree in im- 
parting to the audience, and many thousands of hearts were 
stirred by this closing address to Christian workers. Before part- 
ing, we sang with Mr. Sankey " Dare to be a Daniel." 

The afternoon service for women was a deeply interesting one, 
both in itself and from the fact of its being the last of them. The 
hall was crammed in every corner. The opening hymn was 
"Yet there is room," very appropriate to the occasion. 

All through his mission in Great Britain, Mr. Moody has 
striven to make the Gospel so plain as to be understood by the 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 205 

meanest comprehension. He has avoided collateral issues and 
eschewed theological discussions, and held to the proclamation 
of the good news of salvation through faith in a crucified and risen 
Saviour. One of his favorite texts has been the question of the 
jailer, " What must I do to be saved ? " and this he chose for his 
final gospel addresses to London audiences. Many people, he 
said, still disbelieved in sudden conversion, and he proceeded to 
draw from the treasury of Holy Scripture numerous illustrations 
to show that the new birth is, of necessity, an instantaneous act, 
and not a gradual change. He quoted the ark, the salvation of 
Lot from Sodom, the preservation of the children of Israel in 
Egypt by sprinkling the blood on their doors, the cities of refuge, 
and others, as well as illustrations from history and from daily 
life. At the close he spoke with much emotion of how he had 
tried in all possible ways to allure sinners to Christ, and en- 
treated those present not to go out of the building without receiv- 
ing Christ as their Saviour. They might never hear his and Mr. 
Sankey's voice again on earth, but he hoped there would not be 
one missing at the last great meeting. Many rose in response to 
his pressing appeal at the close, and the inquiry-rooms were 
afterward the scene of much earnest conversation and prayer with 
the crowds of anxious sisters. The evening meeting for men was 
almost filled before the last of the inquirers and workers had left 
the building. 

The last meeting of all will, we think, be reckoned, by those 
who have attended the London meetings throughout, the best of 
all. It was as closely packed with men as could be ; how many 
were left outside we cannot tell. A meeting for them was held 
in the Camber well-green Hall. • Mr. Sankey took his seat at the 
instrument about half an hour before the time, and while he was 
singing for Jesus to the eager crowd of listeners, Mr. Moody and 
a few friends were in the little waiting-room below, supplicating 
God for a Pentecostal blessing on this parting service. And their 
prayer was answered of a truth. We have not witnessed such a 
wondrous scene during any of the many gatherings these last 
four months ; the only approach to it was one Sunday after- 
noon at a women's meeting in the Opera House. 



206 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

Several of Mr. Moody's American friends were present to wit- 
ness the crowning service of this mission, before described. 

At the farewell meeting at London, of the 700 and odd ministers 
who were present at this memorable gathering, there were 188 be- 
longing to the Church of England, 154 Congregationalists, 85 
Baptists, 81 Wesley an Methodists, 39 Presbyterians, 8 foreign pas- 
tors, 8 United Methodists, 7 Primitive Methodists, 3 Plymouth 
Brethren, 2 Countess of Huntingdon's Connection, 2 Society of 
Friends, 3 Free Church of England, 1 Bible Christian, and 
upward of 20 not known. These figures we take from the official 
statement supplied at the meeting, and they significantly show 
the catholic and unsectarian character of Messrs. Moody and 
Sankey's services, as well as the universal esteem with which our 
evangelist brethren are regarded by all sections of the Church of 
Christ in this country. A large number of influential laymen and 
Christian workers were present, among the best known of them 
being Lord Shaftesbury, Lord Cavan, Mr. Cowper-Temple v M. P., 
Mr. Alderman Mc Arthur, M. P., Mr. Samuel Morley, M. P., etc. 

We only give those of the addresses containing interesting facts 
and statistics relating to the movement. 

Rev. R. D. "Wilson, of Craven Chapel, said a new spiritual 
glow had come into the hearts of many during the last four months. 
They had learned, too, that their cherished traditions had no 
more sanctity or authority about them than the new things, which 
startled some of them at first, but with which they had now become 
most blessedly familiar. It was too soon to speak of the results 
as a whole, but within the last three days he had met no less than 
twelve or thirteen distinct cases of conversion in consequence of 
the ministrations of the evangelists. He read the following ex- 
tract from a letter he had received : " I feel it my duty and inex- 
pressible pleasure to tell you that I and one of my brothers were 
converted at one of Mr. Moody's meetings last week. Could you 
know my inner life for the past ten years, you would indeed say 
I have been plucked like a brand from the burning. I cannot 
cease to marvel at the greatness of my salvation." The mother 
of that young lady, said the speaker, had come to him yesterday, 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 207 

and stated that for twenty-five years, with few exceptions, she 
had regularly attended the service of the sanctuary, but the hap- 
piest day in her Christian experience was the previous Sunda} r , 
when she sat with her converted daughter on her right hand and 
a converted son on her left. As the speaker told this affecting 
little story, we felt certain that the tear of joy gathered in many 
an eye, only we could not see for the mist that came across our 
own. He went on to say that we had never known what it was 
to " sing the Gospel " of Jesus Christ till our two brethren came. 
We could now understand how the sweetest tones could become 
the highest sort of Christian eloquence, in declaring to men the 
Way of Life. He would so far disobey the rule that no reference 
was to be made to the two evangelists, as to assure them that 
they would carry home to their American country the warmest 
love and heartiest esteem of the ministers and Christian people 
of this country. At this remark the pent-up feelings of the audi- 
ence could no longer be restrained, and they burst out into loud 
and prolonged applause. We were extremely glad that the nat- 
ural emotions of the congregation for once refused to be smoth- 
ered by that false and frigid idea of decorum which obtains too 
much in our religious assemblies, and prevents the legitimate 
expression of the deepest feelings of the heart. But this is a 
digression. Mr. Wilson continued : " We shall not forget, when 
the Atlantic lies between their home and ours, at our family altar, 
at the place of secret meeting with our God, in our prayer-meet- 
ings, and in our Sabbath assemblies, to pray that God's richest 
blessing may rest upon them there. And it will be a glad day 
for us all, if ever that day comes, when we shall hear from the 
other side of the Western Main the intelligence that they are 
coming again. Until then we shall continue to pray that, when 
God sees meet that they should come, they may come in the full- 
ness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ." 

Rev. Thomas Richardson, of St. Benet's, Stepney, said the 
effect of the meetings in the East End had been to make his 
church and congregation "enlarge the place of their tent, and 
stretch forth the curtains of their habitation." He would rather 



208 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN, 

wait for a year before he gave his testimony as to results, as there 
were many reasons why they should not now begin to count. 
But he had no doubt that thousands of souls would be recorded 
in their various chapels and churches all over London by next 
year. His district visitors had sent in to him formal returns, 
showing that of 1,008 families in his parish, 672, or two families 
out of every three, had attended the services at Bow-road Hall. 
Further, he had two direct testimonies that the attendances at 
the theatres of East. London had sensibly diminished. Some of 
the officials of these theatres had given up the profession, and he 
had only to-day had an interview with one who was starting a 
different course. He had something too to say about the influ- 
ence of the movement on the dock laborers. He had received 
testimony from several of the large docks that the men did not 
swear so much since Messrs. Moody and Sankey came ; praise 
God for that. Besides, drinking was not so prevalent among the 
dockmen, and that was the kind of work that the world believed 
in. He had been privileged to attend every service in Bow-road 
Hall, and he would thank God to all eternity for it. He had seen 
the power of sympathy — that sympathy which brought Christ 
down to die for sinners. Sinners had felt its power, so they had 
stood up and declared they wanted to be saved. He had had the 
privilege of conversing personally with 450 anxious souls ; his 
wife had spoken to 150, and his curate had spoken to 100. There 
were thus 700 souls whose names and addresses they knew, and 
to whom they had written. Formerly, he had an after-meeting 
once a month ; now he had one every Sunday evening, and not 
a Sunday passed without some souls being gathered in. The 
direct results of the meetings were seen in his church, his wife's 
Bible-class, his young men's meetings, and among his district 
visitors. He urged the general adoption of the after-meeting, as 
being the key to the success of the services, and added that if the 
Spirit led him to adopt Mr. Moody's style of preaching he was 
going to do it. 

Rev. Robert Taylor, of Norwood, gave some intensely interest- 
ing facts respecting what had transpired in the inquiry-room at 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 



209 



Camberwell-green Hall. He had to do what Mr. Moody called 
"police work" there, and in this capacity he was able to take a 
general view of the inquirers who, night after night, thronged the 
rooms. One or two things had struck him. First, the large 
number of old people who came as inquirers, and who went away 
as very young Christians. He was afraid that, in their anxiety 
to shut up and shut in the young, they had been in danger of 
shutting out the old. They had fallen into the unbelief of Nico- 
demus, who said, "How can a man be born when he is old?" 
But many blessed births of the old had been seen in the inquiry- 
room at Camberwell. He was also struck with the amazing vari- 
ety of opinion — religious opinion and no opinion — represented. 
One evening he gave up his seat in the hall to a distinguished 
literary man, who lately wrote that " there was a Power above us 
that, at least, we know to be working for righteousness." One 
evening, in the inquiry-room, he met a young woman, and asked 
if she was anxious. Yes, to know if there was a God. Did she 
not believe it? Well, the sum of her belief was that'" there was 
something above us." He could tell of a wife, deserted by her 
husband, who had been in such utter misery and agony that she 
had twice contemplated going to London -bridge to commit sui- 
cide. In that inquiry-room she was brought to faith in Jesus 
Christ and peace with God through the preaching and singing. 
Afterward she prayed so beautifully for her husband that the 
lady who conversed with her was deeply touched as she listened. 
She did not pray that he might be restored to her — now she did 
not care so much about that — but that God would bring him to 
Himself, and that they might be reunited in heaven. He could 
tell of several Roman Catholics brought to simple faith and sweet 
peace in Jesus. He could tell of a man who for twenty minutes 
hid his face from the lady who spoke to him, so deep was his dis- 
tress and shame. He afterward told her how he was standing at 
St. Giles's, and tossed up whether he should go to the theatre or 
the meeting. It was " Heads the theatre, tails Moody and San- 
key." It was tails. He went to the meeting, was led to go into 
the inquiry-room, and, as he described it in a letter to the lady 



2IO MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

who was the means of bringing him into light, " She fought man- 
fully with him for the Lord Jesus," and he went home a rejoicing 
believer. These were but few specimens of hundreds of cases he 
could quote, and when friends said to him the night before, with 
sad hearts, they were so sorry the meetings were over, he could 
only reply, "Yes, and I am so glad the work is so gloriously 
begun." 

Rev. G. Fiindt of Denmark-hill also spoke of the work in the 
inquiry-room at Camberwell. He said that one result of the ser- 
vices had been to increase the local congregations. In his own 
church they had, on several occasions, not had standing-room 
during the visit of the evangelists. He had learned this lesson : 
that if the ministry is to be useful, a personal Christ must be 
lifted up. A man in the inquiry-room had said to him, " It seems 
as if that man (referring to Mr. Moody) had his Friend quite 
close to him, and he was talking about him." Only eternity 
would reveal the good that had been done in the South of Lon- 
don. The night before, at the closing service, there were scores 
of anxious ones who came asking if it was possible to get a grip 
of the hands of the evangelists, and thank them for what had been 
told them about the Lord Jesus Christ ; and tears of gladness 
flowed down many a furrowed cheek when they were asked to go 
home and tell God all about it, and thank Him for the messen- 
gers He had sent. One remarkable circumstance in connection 
with the Camberwell services had been in the attendance of a 
number of medical students from the various hospitals. Some of 
the medical men in the neighborhood had found time and oppor- 
tunity to invite them to their houses to dine, and afterward had 
spoken to them about salvation. If only half a dozen young stu- 
dents were brought to Christ, what might not be the result when 
they were attending the sick-beds of those who should be com- 
mitted to their care ? The South London committee were one 
hundred strong, and they were going, by God's grace, to work 
shoulder to shoulder and hand to hand in this blessed work. 

Rev. Marcus Rainsford said he felt we were living in days 
which many had looked and longed for, but had not seen. He 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 211 

thought that God had been working much more with the masses 
than the ministers. For his own part, he had learned much 
since Messrs. Moody and Sankey came to London. Many pre- 
judices had been broken down, many difficulties removed, and 
many a lesson learned that he would never forget. He had been 
taught by a costermonger how to preach the Gospel. He was 
talking to a costermonger one evening, and trying to show him 
the great salvation, when a bright-looking young fellow came up 
and quietly put him aside, saying, "Sir, I found Christ last week ; 
I think I can talk to this man better than you." " Well, let us 
hear what you have to say." " I never heard such lingo," said 
Mr. Rainsford. " Now, Joe, s'pose it was all up wi' yer ; mother 
starvin', wife starvin', children starvin', and the mackerel no- 
where. S'pose I see yer lookin' very pale and sad and miserable ; 
and, says I, ' Joe, here's a fat half for you.' " (I wondered what 
that was, but the other seemed to know all about it.) " I give 
it yer with all my heart. Away you go to Billingsgate and spend 
the fat half." (It means half a sovereign, and a sixpence means 
a " thin half.") " You get the mackerel, and bring it home ; 
you get the money, and you bring home some bread; yes, 
there it be at home ; now what would you say ? " "I would say, 
< Thank you ; God bless you ! ' " " Well, say that to Christ, for 
He didn't give you the fat half, but the whole." And that was 
the Gospel as ably and spiritually preached, and as blessedly 
preached, as the Archbishop of Canterbury could preach it. 
After some further striking experiences, he expressed a hope 
that the work would go on after our brethren had left, and that 
many would be found to imitate their example in telling of Jesus 
to all around. 

The Earl of Shaftesbury said, nothing but the positive command 
of Mr. Moody would have induced him to come forward on the 
present occasion and say but a few words in the presence of so 
many ministers of the Gospel. But as Mr. Moody had asked 
him to speak of what had occurred during the past four months, 
he did so with the deepest sense of gratitude to Almighty God 
that he had raised up a man with such a message and to be de- 



212 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

livered in such a manner. And though Mr. Moody said they 
were not to praise him or his friend Mr. Sankey, yet if they 
praised God for sending them such men as these, they did no 
more than express their admiration of the instruments that He 
had raised up, while they gave Him all the glory. He had been 
conversant for many years with the people of this metropolis, and 
he might tell them that wherever he went he found the traces of 
these men, of the impression they had made, of the feeling they 
had produced, and of the stamp that he hoped would be indelible 
on many of the people. He could speak that as the truth as to 
many parts of London, and the lowest parts of London. Only a 
few days ago he received a letter from a friend of his, a man 
whose whole life was given to going among the most wretched 
and the most abandoned of the populous city of Manchester, and 
who spoke of the good that had been effected there by the preach- 
ing of Moody and Sankey. A correspondent in Sheffield had 
also written him that he could not satisfy in any degree the wants 
of the people ; that they were calling out for tracts and something 
that should keep up the appetite that had been created. He 
said, " For God's sake, send me tracts by thousands and mil- 
lions ! " Even if Messrs. Moody and Sankey had done nothing 
more than to teach the people to sing as they did with energy 
and expression, such hymns as " Hold the fort, for I am coming," 
they would have conferred an inestimable blessing. 

Mr. Sankey then sang the hymn commencing, " There were 
ninety and nine that safely lay," after which he said that when 
they got to their own country they would often sing this hymn 
again, and they trusted that God's blessing would accompany the 
. singing of it. They asked their friends here to pray for them, 
and that the Lord would continue to bless them. They would be 
glad to hear from their friends here, and they trusted to hear that 
the work was going on. 

Mr. Moody said he would ask them to spend a few moments 
in silent prayer, but before they did so, he begged to thank the 
ministers for the sympathy they had shown them in the past two 
years. They had had nothing but kindness shown them. He 



MIGHTY LONDON IS BLESSED. 213 

also wished publicly to thank the committee, and also the stew- 
ards, who had manifested toward them nothing but , kindness. 
He had also to thank the reporters for the press. He knew that 
he had made mistakes, but they had not reported his mistakes or 
his failings. In fact, they had all been kind. He also wished 
to thank the police for the considerate manner in which they had 
performed their duty. He had one favor to ask of them — he 
would not ask them to pass a resolution, for their hearts were 
worth more than a resolution — he asked them to pray for them, 
and to continue to pray for them as they had done for the last 
two years. He now asked them to pray for a short time in 
silence. 

The congregation then bowed their heads, and, after the lapse 
of two or three minutes, audible prayer was offered, after which 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey hastily retired, in order to escape 
the painful ordeal of bidding so many of their friends a formal 
good-bye. 



CHAPTER XXI. 
Farewell in Liverpool. 

Turning reluctantly away from London where they had tri- 
umphed gloriously under the Great Captain Christ, they were 
received at the place of final departure from Great Britain, in the 
following manner : 

About a quarter to three o'clock, Messrs. Moody and Sankey, 
with many well-known friends, were greeted by an audience that 
crowded every nook and corner of the Victoria Hall. The 
heartiness of the welcome found vent in a universal clapping of 
hands, which, however, Mr. Moody speedily stopped by a wave 
of his hand. Some kind friends had placed very beautiful bou- 
quets of flowers on Mr. Sankey's organ. 

The Rev. Mr. Aitken said he thought they oould not meet in 
that hall without feeling, that the departure of their dear friends 
for America very greatly enhanced the personal responsibility 
of all who called themselves Christians. The blessing which 
God had been pleased to shower upon His work in various parts 
of the land had put them on a vantage-ground, for they occupied 
a better position now than they ever occupied before in this land. 
He did not believe that the Church of Christ had ever occupied 
a better position in this land than it did at the present moment; 
and if that was so, their responsibility must be proportionately 
heavy. And if they allowed themselves to lose their vantage- 
ground and slip back into the dull routine of the past, they would 
have themselves to blame. The question before them was a very 
214 






^FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL. 215 

practical one, and it was, How were they to push on the advan- 
tage ? If they were really to avail themselves of the opportunity, 
they must expect further successes. He was apprehensive of 
Christian people allowing themselves to think that the period 
of reaction had come — that they had been having such great 
encouragement that for a little time they must rest on their oars. 
If they placed themselves in this attitude, they would have them- 
selves to thank for it, if God turned the heavens above into 
brass, and made the earth as iron beneath their feet ; therefore 
he felt it incumbent upon him to sound this note of warning. 
He thought that their attitude should be this : That they should 
thank God, and then rush on against the foe with fresh determi- 
nation, believing that the victory was only commencing, and that 
inasmuch as God had given them a position of advantage, they 
must push it on and fight the battle out, until God in his own 
good time placed the crown of victory on their brow. 

How was this to be done ? God expected every one of them to 
come forward with the gospel of grace in their hearts ; and if they 
realized their personal responsibility and went into the battle 
fully determined to win souls for Christ, England would very 
soon feel the results of their efforts. He desired to warn them 
against this season of revival being followed by a period of reac- 
tion. Before the present work closed, he thought that minis- 
ters of Christ, and also lay people, especially those who occupied 
influential positions, should ask themselves solemnly what were 
the permanent lessons which had been brought before them in 
this great movement. Mr. Moody had given himself up to the 
work of evangelization, and he (Mr. Aitken) could not help 
believing that the Church of Christ from a very remote period 
had practically ignored the evangelist's office. They had their 
local pastors, but he thought that the evangelist was more likely 
to be powerful in a locality where he was not permanently fixed 
than in his own country. If they were desirous to see God's 
work still carried on on a large scale, those whom God had in a 
large measure gifted with the power of the evangelist should con- 
sider whether they could give themselves entirely to the work. 



2l6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

He had done so, but he utterly disclaimed all credit on that score. 
He did not think he should have had the courage to take that 
step, but domestic circumstances had rendered it imperatively 
necessary that he should leave his flock in Liverpool. He had, 
however, long been convinced of this truth, that if a man was to 
be a practical evangelist, he must give himself over to the work ; 
and he called upon God's people to take this matter into serious 
consideration, and say that the great work which had been under- 
taken must be followed up in all our towns and villages, for he 
believed that even the villages needed it more than the towns. 

A great responsibility also rested on the ministers of Christ. 
In almost all the places where the wave of blessing had passed, 
there would be a large number of young converts who had given 
themselves over to God and wanted something to do. Their duty 
at this moment was to set all those young Christians to work. 
There were a great many ministers who fell into the mistake of 
trying to do all the work themselves. What was wanted to be 
done was to find specific spiritual work for those who had given 
themselves to God, and encourage them ; and he wished to point 
out that unless this was done they must be the last persons to 
find fault with those extravagances which otherwise must develop 
themselves. If, instead of young converts being taken by the 
hand, they were left in the rear and not given any kind of encour- 
agement, the result would be that they would either draw themselves 
up in their shells altogether, or rush into the opposite extreme. 

It seemed to him that now was the golden opportunity ; and 
unless they got their young Christians to work, they would have 
to regret it to the end of their days. If, after the departure of 
their American brethren, they resolved to have a holiday time of 
it, then good-bye to their usefulness, and God's blight would rest 
upon them instead of God's blessing ; whereas, if they put them- 
selves into God's hands, depend upon it this wave of blessing 
which had swept over the land was but the beginning of good 
things. He closed his stirring and practical address in the 
words of Wesley, which, he said, used to be sung at the close of 
his conferences : 



FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL. 217 

" A rill, a stream, a torrent flows, 
But send the mighty flood ; 
Awake the nations, shake the earth, 
Till all proclaim Thee God." 

The Rev. A. N. Somerville spoke next, and it is not too much 
to say that the meeting was fairly electrified as " the old man 
eloquent " poured out the wealth of his declamation and illustra- 
tion in a perfect torrent of burning words, accompanied by highly 
dramatic and expressive gestures. He said Messrs. Moody and 
Sankey did not want them to occupy time by throwing their 
arms around their necks and kissing them, but they had given 
them the motto, and that was to " advance." What, he asked, is 
our great encouragement ? " All power is given unto me in 
heaven and earth; go ye therefore and teach (or disciple) all na-. 
tions." Just before Christ ascended, He said, " Ye shall receive 
power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall 
be witnesses unto me in Judea and Jerusalem, and unto the ut- 
termost ends of the earth." Why did the Lord Jesus tell us He 
had received all power ? That He might confer power upon us. 
Mr. Somerville recounted the exploits of the mighty men in the 
days of the Judges, upon whom the power of God fell, and pro- 
ceeded. The day has come when it will not do for us to remain 
within this little isle. Larger efforts must be made to proclaim 
Christ's name throughout the world. We read that Alexander 
the Great, while a young man (he died before he was thirty-two), 
crossed the Hellespont with only 35,000 infantry and 5,000 horse- 
men. He had provisions and money to last them only one month, 
yet they went forth and took possession of the world. What ! Is 
Alexander the Great to be always spoken of as the only man who 
can do the like of this ? Is Jesus Christ not strong ? Why 
should we not gather round Him, and in the power of His Spirit 
take possession of the world ? We must not only send out men 
to engage in this blessed work, but the whole Church must, by 
prayer and sympathy, by the voice of encouragement, and by lib- 
eral support, work together as one man for this great end. When 
I was in India, I felt that wherever I went I was borne up by the 



2l8 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

sympathy and prayers of many dear friends in my own city of 
Glasgow, in Edinburgh, in London, and in many parts of the 
world besides, and I was strong through their sympathy.. If a 
man is sympathized with and encouraged in that way, he will do 
twice as much as he would do otherwise. Mr. Somerville illus- 
trated the power of sympathy by telling how Alexander the Great 
was traversing a desert with his followers, who were suffering 
greatly from thirst. Some one brought him a little water in a 
helmet, and as he was about to partake of the precious refresh- 
ment, he looked toward his followers, and seeing their sufferings, 
he refused to drink. His men were roused to action by the sym- 
pathy thus shown by their leader ; they put their spurs to their 
horses, and sped on to a place where relief could be found. 
Speaking of the necessity of humility in Christian work, he quoted 
a beautifully apt simile, in the use of which he seems to excel. He 
said the Rhine, before it reached Basle, received no fewer than 
1,200 tributaries. How was this ? It was by keeping at its lowest 
level. If it had not, these streams would have flowed somewhere 
else. He roused the audience to such a pitch of excitement, 
that when he sat down they burst into applause, which no at- 
tempt was made to suppress. 

Mr. Sankey then sang " My Prayer," a beautiful hymn of con- 
secration. He prefaced it by saying that he would be able to go 
out and work better if we had the blessing of which the hymn 
told. 

Dr. Barnardo then gave an address, in the course of which he 
said the question was frequently asked, " How shall we reach 
the masses ? " He knew only of one answer : " Go and preach 
Christ to them." That must be the bait ; but there must be 
something more than that. Not only must they preach Christ in 
His boundless love to a dying world, but there must be the hook 
— such an application of the truth as should enter men's hearts 
and draw them to the Saviour. What was the great prerequisite 
to success ? It was given in the two words of our Saviour, " Fol- 
low me." That was the secret of successful service : there was 
no royal road ; their brother Mr. Moody had no knack .in it. 



FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL 



219 



God help them to follow Christ, that they may be truly fishers 
of men. 

Mr. Stalker, of Edinburgh, said he felt that the past two years 
had been years of great importance to the whole country, and 
would be remembered for many years to come as great years. 
One thing that had made them interesting and memorable was 
that religion had been made respected among the young men of 
the country. Young men had been apt to look down upon evan- 
gelical religion ; but in the part he came from they dared not do 
that now, because, in all classes of the community, the very back- 
bone of these young men had been won to Christ, and they were 
bearing themselves so in the ordinary business of life that it was 
impossible for those around them not to respect them. He never 
thought of this movement without his mind wandering away into 
the future; and he thought not only of the number of men who 
had been saved, but of the young men who were devoted to 
Christ going on in their various spheres — in the family, in social 
intercourse, in business, at the university, in their shops, as 
clerks, and in all the different walks in life — distinguishing them- 
selves, and showing that their Christianity, instead of keeping 
them back, was helping them on ; that their spiritual regenera- 
tion had been at the same time moral and intellectual regenera- 
tion ; and that they were determined to be men in all the depart- 
ments of life. He read often with pity the remarks made by 
some, of the weakness of those who took part in this movement. 
At the University of Edinburgh last April, there were only six or 
seven men who secured first-class honors, and three of these 
were head and shoulders in this work. Only one man got what 
was called a " double first," and that man he had heard address- 
ing these revival meetings. That was the kind ot revival of reli- 
gion they were having now ; and he thanked God for it with all 
his heart, for their preaching to young men was far more effective 
if they could show them that their religion was making them get 
on well in business, and do their business well, and come to the 
front in the ordinary walks of life. Let them seek to serve God 
by doing their work thoroughly, and at the same time, standing 



2 20 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

on that vantage ground, exhort all their brethren to get that 
which had made men of them. 

At the evening meeting, Mr. Moody sooke of Thanksgiving 
Day in America, the observance of which brings all the scattered 
members of the household together. We were strongly reminded 
of this by the great gathering of friends who had come from far- 
off parts of the country to be present at the farewell services and 
departure next day. Many who had taken an active part in the 
London services came down expressly to say good-bye to their 
evangelist brethren, and not a few had come from across the 
border, as well as the other English towns. 

We have seldom had to record anything else but crowded 
meetings in connection with Messrs. Moody and Sankey's ser- 
vices, but this last evening meeting of all must have been — if that 
were possible — more crowded than any. As one of the local 
papers of next day puts it : " Every inch of space where a person 
could sit, or stand, or crouch, was occupied." 

Mr. Sankey sang " I am praying for you," and before doing so 
he said : " When we are gone from among you, we hope that you 
will remember to pray for us, as we will surely remember to pray 
for you. Pray God that He may use us in our own dear land as 
He has used us here, and even more abundantly. May the bless- 
ing of God rest upon the singing of this hymn to-night." 

Mr. Moody then commenced his address, and spoke for more 
than an hour, but to the very last there was the most rapt atten- 
tion. By some means the gas could not be lit, and as the fading 
twilight deepened into darkness the scene became intensely sol- 
emn, as Mr. Moody's earnest and sometimes faltering words fell 
on the hushed and eagerly attentive multitude. At the close of 
his address he offered fervent prayer. He besought God's bless- 
ing on England and America, on the work among the young men, 
and on the ministers, his utterances anon being stayed by his 
evident emotion. 

Mr. Sankey's voice found expression for the last time in the 
farewell hymn which he has sung at many of the towns visited, 
though not in London. As Mr. Sankey sang it, by the light of a 



FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL. 221 

candle, to the justly popular tune of " Home, Sweet Home," the 
audience was much moved. It was the last time many of them 
will probably hear Mr. Sankey's voice, and we are sure none of 
those present will be able to forget it. 

On Tuesday evening, after the general meeting, a few friends 
gathered at the Compton Hotel, and two or three hours were 
spent in an informal conversation on the subject always upper- 
most in Mr. Moody's thoughts — the best way to benefit young 
men — to conserve and utilize in the way of righteousness, for the 
glory of God and the good of men, the young manhood of Great 
Britain, America, and the world. 

We believe that if one thing more than another will induce Mr. 
Moody to return to Great ,Britain, it will be the desire to weld 
together its Christian young men into a band of fellow-laborers, 
that, by the operation of the Spirit of God, shall be in the midst 
of many peoples as a dew from the Lord, and as a lion among 
the beasts of the forest. And to tell the truth, we expect that it 
will not be years before we see our brethren again among us. 

The last service in England was held by Mr. Moody on the 
morning of their departure, so that we may say they left our 
shores " with their harness on their backs." Mr. Sankey was not 
present. 

The hall was opened at seven o'clock, by which time consider- 
able crowds had gathered at all the doors, and before Mr. Moody 
made his appearance at twenty minutes past seven there were 
some 5,000 or 6,000 persons in the hall. After praise and prayer, 
Mr. Moody read part of the first chapter of Joshua and twenty- 
sixth chapter of Leviticus. He proceeded to give a short address 
to the young men, the first part of which was an earnest plea for 
a systematic study of the Bible and Bible characters, and for union 
with some organized body of Christians. He also urged on them 
the necessity of having some definite work to do, and not to at- 
tempt too many things at one time. " I have been wonderfully 
cheered," he continued, "during the past months by the tidings 
coming from Liverpool. I want to say from the depths of my 
heart, God bless you, young men. The eyes of Christendom are 



2 22 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

upon you. Perhaps there has not been a place where the work 
has been so deep and thorough as the work here among the 
young men. I believe it was in answer to the prayers that went 
up for it when we were here six months ago. And now, as we 
cross the Atlantic, it will cheer us as tidings come that the young 
men are still advancing. Do not fold your arms and say, ' We 
will have a good time next fall.' God is just as ready to work in 
August as in July. If some have gone out of town on their holi- 
days, the work should not stop ; I think it is the best time to 
work when many are away. Every man ought to be worth the 
five or six that are away. Then the work will go on. The great 
revival at Pentecost was in the hot weather, and also in a very 
hot country. People think there cannot be any interest in the 
warm months ; but if the prayer goes up to the throne, God does 
not look to see what month it is. He is as ready to bless in one 
month as in another. Let me give you the watchword we had 
yesterday afternoon — ' Advance/ I hope there will be a fresh 
interest awakened in Liverpool as there has been in Manchester. 
I do not know of anything that has encouraged me more than to 
hear of the work going on in Manchester for the last six weeks. 
I hope Liverpool and Manchester will shake hands in carrying 
on the work, and let the lies of those skeptics who say it is only 
1 a nine days' wonder ' be driven back. I cannot talk longer. I 
say from the depths of my heart, I love you ; God bless you, and 
may the power of God come upon you this morning afresh." 

After the hymn, "Free from the law," had been sung, Mr. 
Alexander Balfour said, " I do not know whether I am the proper 
person on behalf of this audience to say good-bye to our dear 
friend, Mr. Moody, and our absent friend, Mr. Sankey ; but I feel 
that there must be some mouthpiece to say to them what we 
really do feel. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts and 
souls for what they have come here and done. Unless Mr. Moody 
had been a man like a cannon-ball for hardness of material, for 
directness of aim, and for strength of will, he could never have done 
what he has been privileged by God to do. His wisdom has been 
conspicuous in discovering this — that our young men in Liverpool 



FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL 223 

and elsewhere in this country have been greatly neglected, and in 
choosing them to be, for the future, not merely the recipients 
of God's grace, but the distributors of it, I do feel that Mr. 
Moody, in having given so much attention to our young men, has 
really done the right thing. Many know that Liverpool has been 
a curse to young men. They have come here and been led astray 
into all kinds of mischief and wickedness. How many broken 
hearts are there in this country because of the mischief done to 
young men in Liverpool ! On behalf of the mothers and sisters 
of this country, I want to give Mr. Moody the most heartfelt vote 
of thanks that it is in my power to convey ; and on behalf of thou- 
sands who shall be influenced by the young men in Liverpool, I 
want to convey to him the tribute of gratitude for what he has 
done. As President of the Young Men's Christian Association, 
I want to say this : That it is our purpose as young men to go on 
with the work ; and, by God's grace, we shall not go back, but 
advance in our endeavor to do our duty before God and men." 

Mr. Moody, in reply, simply said, " I will now shake hands with 
you all in the person of the President of the Association "; and 
the meeting having been closed, he returned to the Compton 
Hotel, surrounded by a large crowd, which sang, " Hold the 
fort," and the " Doxology " in the street in front of the hotel. 
Many of them lingered there during the hour and a half that 
elapsed before Mr. Moody, Mrs. Moody, and family, accompan- 
ied by a large number of friends, drove away to the landing-stage. 
They were followed by the enthusiastic cheers of the assembled 
multitude. Mr. Sankey stayed at the residence of a friend, and 
so escaped much of the popular attention that Mr. Moody had to 
undergo. 

A special tender was provided for the conveyance of the evan- 
gelists and their party to the " Spain "; and Mr. Sankey, who 
spent the night at Edge-lane, and most of the friends, went on 
board of it shortly before Mr. Moody. As Mr. Sankey passed 
across the landing-stage, upon which a large number of people 
had assembled, he was warmly cheered. 

As Mr. Moody emerged from the hotel, a hearty cheer arose 



2 24 MOODY AND SANKEY IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

from the crowd, and people rushed to the door cf the cab on each 
side to shake hands with him, and bid him good-bye. The cab 
was, however, immediately driven away to the stage amidst 
renewed and warm cheering. For some time prior to the hour 
at which the special tender was to leave for the li Spain,*' people 
began to assemble on the Prince's pier and the landing-stage, 
and when Mr. Moody arrived, there were several thousands pre- 
sent. A wide strip of the stage was kept clear by the police for 
the party to walk to the tender, and as Mr. Moody went on board 
he was heartily cheered, which he acknowledged by bowing. 
When the company were all on board, the tender steamed away. 
As it passed down the river, the people upon the pier and the 
landing-stage cheered with increased heartiness, and waved 
their hats and handkerchiefs. Their example was imitated by 
the people on the ferry-boats moored at the stage or crossing the 
river ; and when the cheering had subsided, the people on the 
stage struck up one of the well-known hymns. The sorrowful 
countenances of many of the people showed that it was with no 
ordinary feelings of regret that they saw the evangelists going 
away. 

The tender reached the " Spain " about an hour before the 
time for the ship to weigh anchor, and the interval was fully occu- 
pied in taking leave of the evangelists, and in receiving from 
them or conveying to them parting words of comfort and encour- 
agement. Mr. Moody again urged those who have been his fel- 
low-laborers in this and other districts to remain united, and to 
carry on the work with courage and determination ; whilst on 
the other hand, there were very numerous expressions of the 
hope that a success equal to that of the last two years may attend 
the evangelists' labors wherever and whenever they may be 
resumed. Many of the leave-takings, from their intense earnest- 
ness, were very affecting. Only when the " Spain's " anchor was 
being raised, and the tender was upon the point of starting, 
could many of the friends tear themselves away. As the last of 
the people " for the shore " were leaving the ship, those who were 
already on board the tender sang the hymn, " Safe in the arms of 



FAREWELL IN LIVERPOOL. 225 

Jesus." As the " Spain " moved slowly down the river, the peo- 
ple in the tender, which was still alongside, cheered heartily, 
and the passengers on board the " Spain " replied with another 
cheer, and the waving of handkerchiefs and hats. As the " Spain " 
passed on ahead, the people in the tender sang the hymn, " Hold 
the fort," and afterwards the hymn, " Work, for the night is com- 
ing." Mr. Moody and Mr. Sankey stood at the bulwarks of the 
" Spain " and bowed and waved their handkerchiefs until the two 
ships were out of sight of each other. Shortly before the tender 
reached Liverpool, prayer was offered up on board by Mr. R. 
Radcliff, and other gentlemen, for the safe arrival of the evan- 
gelists at their destination, and for the subsequent success of 
their labors, whether carried on in England or America. 



Part III 



A COMPLETE HISTORY 

OF THE 

CAREER AND WORK 

OF 

MOODY AND SANKEY, 

IN AMERICA. 





X 



MOODY AND SANK.EY IN AMERICA. 227 



CHAPTER XXII. 
Moody and Sankey in Brooklyn. 

When their wonderful career was over in the old country, 
and they returned to their native land, these laborers felt 
the need of rest, and desired to greet once more their kin- 
dred from whom they had so long been separated. Mr. Moody 
proceeded at once to Northfield, Massachusetts, to the home 
of his mother, where he could rest, or gather strength for 
the work already marked out for him and his associate in 
America. For great expectations had been raised by their 
success abroad, and eager multitudes awaited their coming. 
While in Northfield, delegations visited Mr. Moody, requesting 
his services in various cities of the Union, whenever he felt 
able to resume the service temporarily laid aside. While 
reposing among the quiet scenes of his early days, the wants of 
the community pressed heavily on his heart, and his old neigh- 
bors were anxious to hear him preach again. He came among 
them as a conquering hero, bearing rich trophies and bright 
laurels. The pent-up fires of religious earnestness and fervor 
burst forth again, and he poured out his soul to the thronging 
multitudes, who gathered from far and near to hear the 
Gospel from his burning lips. The Unitarian pastor attempted 
to controvert and hinder him in his work, but was cast aside as 
a leaf before the whirlwind. The tidings flashed over the land 
that God was with his servants at Northfield, and raised expec- 
tation higher than ever. But there were some who doubted. 
They said, and with plausibility, that the songs were familiar 
here, and the direct address was characteristically American, 
and these men could scarcely interest and hold people as they 
had done abroad. The answer will be found stated in the 
compend we have made of the reports and editorials of the 



228 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

press, for the benefit of our readers who may desire a record 
of these glorious events, that shall stir their hearts and show 
what God hath wrought. Mr. Moody, after long and careful 
consultation, resolved to visit Philadelphia first; but, upon 
urgent appeals from the City of Churches, he commenced 
there October 24, 1875. Money was freely subscribed and a 
perfect Union of Christians obtained. The services were 
arranged to be held in the Rink on Clermont Avenue, and 
prayer meetings, in Talmage's Tabernacle. The preaching on 
Sundays began at half-past eight, so as not to interfere with 
the regular church meetings. An afternoon preaching service 
occurred at four, and a meeting at nine p. m., for young men. 
From the journals we gather the events of the course of revival 
efforts, and arrange them in such order as may convey the best 
general view of the whole marvelous series, without stopping 
to quote the several sources of information. 

All calculations with regard to the coming of the evangelists, 
Moody and Sankey, have been at fault. The numbers inter- 
ested, the assistance at hand, the religious feeling awakened, 
have all been underestimated. This was not a result of mis- 
management, — on the contrary, the management has been 
singularly good, — but a misconception of the depth and earn- 
estness of the religious feeling which awaited the coming of 
the evangelists and stood ready at once to aid and to respond 
to their efforts. This religious spirit has been lately aroused 
in this country by various causes, chief among which we reckon 
the general trade and business depression which now, as 
always in the past, tends, while multiplying men's troubles, to 
quicken their sympathetic and religious feelings. The demon- 
stration yesterday in Brooklyn was expected to be noticeable 
and earnest, but in its magnitude it has proved a surprise. 
The reputation won by Moody and Sankey abroad specially 
adapted them to lead in a general revival, and led all to antici- 
pate a great following to hear them, but that three or four times 
the numbers in attendance would have to be turned away was 
wholly unexpected. And instead of an effort being required 
to awaken interest and arouse dormant feelings, it was soon 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 229 

discovered that the audience was as intensely earnest and 
sympathetic as the leaders themselves. 

Some of the indications of this spirit, as betrayed at yes- 
terday's meetings, are curious. The morning services were 
begun at half-past eight o'clock. Before six in the morning 
the crowd began to gather at the doors ; at eight o'clock over 
five thousand persons were seated in the building, and three 
thousand or more had been turned away for lack of standing 
room. In the afternoon twelve — possibly twenty — thousand 
were unable to gain admittance ; meetings had to be organized 
in neighboring churches (Mr. Sankey going from place to place 
singing his songs), while the sidewalks and house-stoops for 
blocks around were black with the constantly increasing crowd. 
Additional car-tracks had been laid by the street railroad com- 
panies to the doors of the building, and though cars were run 
at intervals of only one minute, many thousands had to wend 
their ways homeward on foot. The prayer with which the 
services were begun, though delivered by a minister whose 
manner is never impassioned and whose style is purely argu- 
mentative, was interrupted by frequent and fervent ejaculations 
from the audience, indicating the intense sympathy with the 
movement which existed. The songs of Mr. Sankey renewed 
and heightened these demonstrations, and the utterances of Mr. 
Moody raised the excitement, enthusiasm, religious fervor, as 
one may choose to call it, to the highest pitch. 

These comments are founded on the reports of the first 
meetings, of which we have most glowing accounts, like the 
following. 

It was early evident to the coldest and most sceptical per- 
son present at yesterday's services that the revival spirit was 
thoroughly aroused, and the people ripe for a great and enthu- 
siastic religious demonstration. This feeling was manifested at 
the veiy beginning of the services, during the prayer of the Rev. 
Dr. Budington. Many familiar with the gentleman's manner 
thought that his selection for this duty was an error of judgment 
on the part of the managers. Dr. Budington has never made 
any claims to being a magnetic speaker. He is logical in style, 



230 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

and his manner of delivery is polished but cold. His words 
would, probably, by their logical force, always keep for him 
the close attention of an intellectual assemblage, but they 
would not on any ordinary occasion arouse deep feeling or 
enthusiasm. Yesterday, before he had uttered half a dozen 
sentences of the prayer, fervent -' amens " came from many lips, 
and there were other signs of profound emotion in the great 
throng. 

The next opportunity which was offered for the display of 
this fervent and reverential enthusiasm was during the singing 
of the 120th Hymn by Mr. Sankey. Mr. Moody had said, im- 
mediately after reading from the Bible, " I am going to ask Mr. 
Sankey to sing the 120th Hymn alone " — a sharp emphasis on 
the last word. The instant hush of expectation as the great 
audience settled back prepared to hear something that should 
appeal to their hearts, was very marked, but as Mr. Sankey's 
magnetic voice and wonderfully expressive singing filled the 
great auditorium, the sympathy among his hearers grew and in- 
creased until it seemed as if, had he continued the sweet melody 
and earnest supplication, every person in the whole audience 
would have risen and joined with him in a grand musical prayer 
of mingled appeal and thanksgiving. The effect he produced 
was simply marvelous. Many responses, such as " Amen " and 
" Glory to God," were heard from all parts of the vast assembly, 
and at the close a great many men as well as women were in 
tears. Mr. Sankey's voice is a marvel of sweetness, flexibility, 
and strength. There is a simplicity about his vocalism which 
disarms the criticism that would apply to it any of the rules 
of art. It has a charm purely its own, which attracts and 
holds one with a power that is gentle but irresistible. 

Mr. Moody's appearance during the delivery of his sermon 
was as one man standing in a sea of men and women. On all 
sides, and even in rear of him, were the assembled 5,000 persons, 
nearly all on a slightly lower plane than himself. Every one's 
attention was closely directed to him, and, in moments of intense 
utterance or emphasis of some religious truth, fervent responses 
came from every part of the room. And when, toward the 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 23 1 

close of his sermon, he told his hearers that they must lay aside 
the world, its vanities, pleasures, parties, festivals, and its other ' 
gayeties, if they would " go up at once and take the land," the 
responsive " Amens," " Yes, yes," "Glory to God," and " Aye, 
aye," were very numerous, and came from every quarter of the 
auditorium. Mr. Moody's manner in the pulpit was not such as 
a trained elocutionist would use. He is evidently a man who 
in his diligent search for truths has made little study of forms. 
He is quick in his movements, and so rapid in speech that the 
swiftest stenographer present yesterday could not reproduce his 
language literally. He is earnest and vigorous in enunciation 
and gesture, and wholly without studied art. But as one listens, 
he becomes irresistibly convinced that an intense earnestness 
and unquestioning faith in the saving power of Christianity 
inspire the rugged, sinewy oratory of the speaker. Often 
neglecting a syllable and sacrificing a sound, not always correct 
in grammar or fluent in speech, he appears to the amazed lis- 
tener a man who feels more than he can express, whose brain 
is big with great thoughts which speech — earnest and eager as 
Mr. Moody's language is— is incapable of expressing, and which, 
in their rapid delivery, tread so fast on each other's heels as to 
more or less mar each other's form. 

The music is under the direct charge of Mr. Sankey. In ac- 
cordance with his request the choir is composed of singers who 
are themselves Christians, and recommended by their pastors 
as such. It numbers 250 voices. There have been 500 names 
entered, so that there will always be a reserve force of as many 
more as are requisite from which to keep the ranks full. The 
singers have been undergoing several rehearsals, with a view to 
adapting themselves in various points of expression to the spirit 
of the words they utter. The last of these was conducted on 
Saturday night by Mr. Sankey. There will be one large organ 
to assist the choir and audience, and a smaller one upon which 
Mr. Sankey accompanies himself in his solos. 
. One of the papers said, near the close of the campaign : 
Moody and Sankey will advance upon Philadelphia, after 
their Brooklyn experience, as conquerors. There was great 



232 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

anxiety about their success when they made their advent in 
Brooklyn a month ago. They had stirred up England and 
Scotland just before their arrival in this country ; but still there 
were doubts whether the conditions here were as favorable as they 
had been there. The " evangelist" Varley and his assistants had 
carried on revival operations here last year, in the Hippodrome 
and elsewhere ; but they were failures. Moody himself had 
worked among us with very slight results before he went abroad. 
Other revivalists had tried their powers in various places, and 
met with discouragement. But the very first meeting held by 
Moody and Sankey, on the 24th of last month, was a triumph, 
so far as it could be made so by the multitudes in attendance and 
the number of anxious inquirers. From then until now, the 
popular interest has not only been sustained, but has increased ; 
and the meetings of the last two evenings, especially that of last 
evening, show that the revival is yet at its flood tide. It is from 
such scenes that Moody and Sankey go to Philadelphia. We are 
not surprised that the pious Philadelphians now look for great 
things, or that they expect a Pentecostal season without prece- 
dent in their city. We hope that, if they enjoy it, they will be 
the better for it, and that the fruits of it will be apparent to all 
observers. 

Mr. Moody himself was not surprised at what was witnessed, 
for he said to the reporters : " I have nowhere found more im- 
pressionable audiences than in Brooklyn. In England, where 
I was successful, my friends counseled me against going 
into Scotland, saying that I could not move the cool, calculat- 
ing spirit of the Scotchman ; and when I started for Ireland, 
they told me that the volatile Irish were the last people in the 
world among whom I could labor with good results. But in 
both those countries there were as great awakenings as any I 
have ever seen. It. made me think that hearts are the same 
all over the world." 

" What has been the most encouraging feature of your recep- 
tion in Brooklyn ? " 

" The union of the churches. All the clergy seem to be 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



233 



working zealously and harmoniously and intelligently to carry 
on the work." 

" And the most discouraging ? " 

" My inability to reach the great masses who ought to be 
saved. Still, they may be yet approached through the churches, 
for this movement has not stopped." 

" Have you any estimate of the number of converts made?" 
asked the reporter, for Mr. Moody volunteers nothing to an 
interviewer. 

" I have not one, and cannot make one. Many go to their 
own pastors, and do not come near the inquiry room, and 
many more of the wounded will be won if the work is carried 
on as it should be." 

He said that he as yet felt no fatigue, and that he had been 
able to carry on four meetings a day in England, Scotland, and 
Ireland, for over two years, without breaking down. He ex- 
pressed great satisfaction with the opening meetings, saying 
that he had never had a more encouraging outlook. Every- 
thing had been planned after the very best manner, and the 
indications of success were as satisfactory as any he had found 
abroad. The prayer meeting yesterday morning was more 
successful than he could have expected. In Great Britain 
these meetings were held at noon, but at no time was there a 
larger attendance than yesterday. Many of the meetings there 
had been overestimated in the numbers in attendance. He 
had yet to learn of a circumstance in this country that was un- 
favorable. In Brooklyn he had found a universal feeling of 
cordiality and support, and in all he had known of the other 
cities to which he and Mr. Sankey had been invited, there was 
the same unvarying encouragement. Some of the newspapers 
had stated that in New York there were some ministers who 
disapproved of their coming, but he had found the feeling there 
fully as universal and sympathetic as anywhere else. America 
differed in this respect from Great Britain. In the latter coun- 
try he and Mr. Sankey were strangers, and many people 
regarded them at first from aloof, and it was only after they 
became better known and their work was understood that the 



234 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

sentiments became cordial and the interest general. He there- 
fore believed that a still greater work would be accomplished 
in the United States than on the other side of the Atlantic. 

Said Mr. Moody : u I am the most overestimated man in 
this country. By some means the people look upon me as a 
great man, but I am only a lay preacher, and have .little learn- 
ing. I don't know what will become of me if the newspapers 
continue to print all of my sermons. My stock will be 
exhausted by and by, and I must repeat the old ideas and 
teachings. Brooklyn every Sunday hears a score of better 
sermons than I can preach. I can't get up such sermons as 
Drs. Budington and Cuyler and Talmage, and many others 
who preach here week after week. I don't know what I 
shall do." 

It is interesting to note the interest excited by Mr. Moody in 
such men as Mr. Beecher, the prince of preachers, who said at 
one of his lectures, the impression he had gained in conversa- 
tion with Mr. Moody was that the number of persons who had 
been converted from the outside world, while not inconsiderable, 
has not yet been large. This leaves the comforting thought, he 
added, that the greatest benefit of the meetings is yet to accrue. 
He spoke further, suggesting different methods to prolong the 
Christian meetings. He could not see how they could carry on 
the central meetings with continued success. If every church 
tried to be a little Rink, and everybody a little Moody and San- 
key, they would fail because imitations were very inferior. Moody 
was no careless worker ; no man had a more definite conception 
of the end he aimed at. " On last Saturday," said Mr. Beecher, 
" I had the pleasure of two or three hours' conference with Mr. 
Moody in my own house. I thought I saw the secret of his 
working and plans. He is a believer in the second advent of 
Christ, and in our own time. He thinks it is no use to attempt 
to work for this world. In his opinion it. is blasted — a wreck 
bound to sink — and the only thing that is worth doing is to get 
as many of the crew off as you can, and let her go. All that is 
worth doing is to work and wait for the appearance of the 
Master, and not to attempt a thorough regeneration of a com- 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 2T.j 

plicated state of society. He thinks that Christ may come even 
to-morrow. I should be a burning fire all the time if I believed 
like that, but I do not say that I must believe like that to be a 
burning fire." 

Mr. NordhofT, an accomplished literary gentleman, wrote of 
the evangelists a capital review for the " Herald " from which 
we copy : 

Mr. Moody is a short and somewhat stout man, with a full, 
dark beard, rather small eyes and an active, energetic, but not 
nervous, habit. His manner is alert and prompt, but not grace- 
ful ; his voice is unmusical, and indeed harsh ; his enun- 
ciation is very clear, but somewhat too rapid, andean be heard 
and understood in every part of the Tabernacle or the Rink 
In the latter place he has spoken to 7000 people. He gesticu- 
lates but little, and his gestures are evidently extremely un- 
studied. His style of speaking is entirely conversational, and 
hearing him perhaps a dozen times,I have never detected him in 
any attempt at eloquence. He is evidently, by his pronuncia- 
tion, a Yankee, clipping some of the minor words in his sen- 
tences, as the farmers in the interior of Massachusetts do ; but 
he has no " Yankee drawl." He speaks the language of the 
people, and has the merit of using always the commonest words; 
and that he had no early educational advantages is plain from 
his frequent use of " done " for " did " and other ungrammatical 
colloquialisms. In short, his appearance is not imposing ; his 
figure is not graceful, but that of a farmer or hard-working 
laborer; his voice is not melodious, nor has it a great range; 
his language is not choice. His externals, therefore, are all 
against him. 

In spite of all these disadvantages he has succeeded in attract- 
ing in England and here vast crowds day after day, which, at 
some of the Brooklyn meetings at least, are composed largely 
of cultivated people ; he has, evidently, succeeded m interesting 
these crowds in what he has had to say ; for nothing is more 
remarkable at the meetings than the absolute quiet and order, 
the attitude of interested listeners, which prevails among the 
audience. He has so entirely controlled his audiences that all 



236 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

noisy manifestations of religious feeling have been entirely 
suppressed ; and at the same time no one who has sat in the 
meetings at the Rink or the Tabernacle can have failed to see 
that Mr. Moody's manner of presenting his subject is to an 
extraordinary degree effective in moving the hearts of his hear- 
ers, in stirring devotional feelings, in producing a profound 
impression upon them of the importance of the message he has 
to deliver. 

Indeed, it has been a common remark that the audiences 
were even more remarkable than Mr. Moody, for not only are 
they spontaneous gatherings ; to some of the meetings admit- 
tance can be secured only by the presentation of a ticket, and 
these ticket meetings, where each person must be supposed at 
least to have had a desire to attend strong enough to induce 
him to take the trouble of securing a ticket, are as crowded as 
any others. Nor are convenient hours selected for the meetings. 
There is one from eight to nine in the morning, which yet has 
seen the Tabernacle filled with an audience, at least a third of 
whom were men. There is another at four o'clock in the after- 
noon, and again not less than a third of those present have been 
men. After the Rink meeting in the evening there has been 
held a meeting in the Tabernacle for young men exclusively, 
beginning at nine o'clock, and this, too, I have seen crowded, 
the large auditorium being on several occasions incapable of 
holding all who came. Nor is this all. Not the least remark- 
able evidence of the real and profound interest excited by Mr. 
Moody's exhortations is seen in what are happily called the 
"overflow meetings," composed of persons who could not 
gain admission to the regular meetings where Mr. Moody 
exhorts and Mr. Sankey sings, and who adjourn to a neighbor- 
ing church to listen to some other preacher and to sing the 
songs which Mr. Sankey has made familiar to them. If any 
considerable part of the crowds who go to the meetings were 
composed of the merely curious these "overflow meetings" 
could not exist. 

Nor is even this all. Mr. Moody does not hesitate to advise 
people to stay away from his meetings. He has repeatedly 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



2 37 



urged that his labors are for non-church goers ; that he desires 
room left for this class, and he has taken special means to 
exclude from some of his meetings all who regularly attend a 
church — that is to say, he does not court his audiences, but 
the contrary. If you go to hear him it must be because you want 
to ; if you go the second time it must be because he interested 
you the first. 

I have heard him a number of times, and always with interest 
and gratification ; and it seems to me that this arose mainly — 
aside from the interest which any thoughtful man may have in 
this subject — because he gives the impression of possessing 
remarkable common sense, the clear head of a business man, 
and a habit of attending to the one thing which he has on 
hand and making all parts of the audience do the same. The 
meetings are opened and closed promptly at the preappointed 
hour ; there is not even a minute of time lost during the meet- 
ing by delays ; his own prayers are brief, very earnest, and 
directly to the point ; and his exhortations are a running com- 
mentary on passages of Scripture which he reads rapidly, 
always asking the audience to turn to the passage. Indeed, so 
far as Mr. Moody is concerned, there is little or no " machin- 
ery." He opens a meeting as though his audience were the 
stockholders of a bank to whom he was about to make a 
report. He has the air of a business man to whom time is 
extremely valuable, and slow and tedious people are evidently 
a trial to him. In some of the prayer meetings persons in the 
audience take an active part ; and it happened not seldom in 
those that I attended that some earnest but indiscreet soul 
made a long and rambling prayer. Mr. Moody knew how to 
bring back the assembly to the strict object of the hour. In 
one of the morning meetings a clergyman made a very long, 
loud, and rambling prayer, full of set and stale phraseology. 
The moment he ceased Mr. Moody said, " Let us now have a 
few minutes of silent prayer ; that will bring us back to our- 
selves, and that's where we need to get." After a brief but 
impressive silence Mr. Sankey spoke a few words — pertinent, 
pointed, and forcible — of prayer, and the meeting proceeded. 



238 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

I hope I shall not be thought disrespectful to the clergy if I 
say that the prayers some of them speak at these meetings 
contrast unfavorably with the brief and pertinent petitions of 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey. The formal and thread-bare 
phraseology of the former is strikingly inappropriate in such 
meetings as these, and seemed to me often to jar painfully on 
the feelings of the people around me. 

Again, in one of the morning meetings prayers were asked 
by various individuals in the audience for people in whom 
they are interested. One asked the prayers of the assembly 
for his sister; another for her brother; one for her mother; 
sons for fathers ; fathers for sons and daughters ; wives for 
husbands ; one for a church out of town ; another for a church 
in New York. Finally a man shyly asked the prayers of the 
congregation for himself. Instantly Mr. Moody said, "That's 
right. I like that. I like to hear people ask prayers for them- 
selves. That's where they are often most needed." Such an 
incident seems to me to show that he is not an enthusiast who 
has lost his self-possession ; and indeed this is evident at 
every meeting. He is, of course, enthusiastic in his work, 
but with the sobriety of a business man or of a general 
in battle. 

Again, he is never in the least afraid of bis audience. In- 
deed, no one can hear him without feeling that he is entirely 
unconscious, as much so as a child. His own personality does 
not trouble him. Thus at the Rink one evening, while impress- 
ing upon the assemblage the importance of immediate conver- 
sion, he said : " I wish that friend over there would just wake 
up, and I'll tell him something which is important to him." 
And again, at another meeting, he said : " Salvation is offered 
to every man in this Rink, now, to-night, at this very moment ; 
to that man there, who is laughing and jeering — the Son of 
Man comes to him to-night and offers salvation." 

Though he aims to reach more particularly the non-church- 
going population, he concerns himself also about church-goers. 
" The churches," he said on one occasion, "need awakening; 
it is too easy now to be a church member. If you pay youi 






MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 239 

debts and keep out of jail, that seems to be enough." At a 
meeting for young men, held at nine o'clock p. m. in the Taber- 
nacle, he said, " You don't need that I should preach to you. 
There is too much preaching. It's preach, preach, preach, all 
the time; and you, young men, have heard sermons enough 
here in Brooklyn to convert every one of you. What you need 
is to work among yourselves. Let the converted speak personally 
with the unconverted — friend to friend. Then you'll see results." 

He has a good deal of dramatic power, and sometimes is very 
effective in a natural but strong appeal or statement. " When 
the prisoners at Philippi with Paul cried Amen," he said, " God 
himself answered them Amen ! " Speaking of the probability 
that we forget none of the events of our lives, and that this is, 
perhaps, to be a means of punishment in a future state, he pic- 
tured an unrepentant sinner awakening in the other world, and 
his misdeeds coming back upon him. " Tramp ! tramp ! tramp ! 
tramp ! " he said, suiting the action to the word. " Do you 
think that Judas, after nearly 1,900 years, has forgotten that he 
betrayed his Saviour for thirty pieces of silver ? Do you think 
that Cain, after 5,000 years, has forgotten the pleading look of 
his brother Able when he slew him ? " he continued. In speak- 
ing of Bible incidents or parables he usually brings them in a 
dramatic form — as when he remarked, " If I want to know about 
some man in Brooklyn I don't ask only his enemies, nor only 
his friends, but both. Let us ask about Christ in this way. I 
call first Pilate's wife " — and relating her warning to Pilate went 
on to call other witnesses to the character and works of Jesus. 

He has made an extremely close study of the Bible, and is 
evidently that formidable being, a man of one book, and thus 
he is able to give often a novel view of a Bible passage. Thus, 
speaking of Jacob, he remarked that his life was a failure ; 
pointed out that Jacob himself had complained of it, and enu- 
merated his tribulations, which followed his misdeeds. He 
enforced upon the audience the necessity of reading the Bible 
biographies not as though they were the lives of saints, but the 
truthfully written lives of mortal men, in which their bad as well 
as their good deeds were set forth for our instruction.^ 



240 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

He has in perfection that faculty of epigrammatic statement 
which one often finds among the farmers and laboring people 
of New England, and this has sometimes the effect of humor. 
Thus, preaching at the Rink from the text, "Where the treasure 
is, there the heart will be also," he remarked : "If you find a 
man's household goods on a freight train, you may be pretty 
sure to find him on the next passenger train." On another 
occasion he told of a woman who came to him saying that she 
had sought Christ without avail. " I told her there must be some 
mistake about this, because an anxious sinner and an anxious 
Saviour could not need three years to find each other." Speak- 
ing of persons who were ambitious to make themselves promi- 
nent, he remarked : " It does not say, make your light shine, but 
let your light shine. You can't make a light shine. If it is 
really a light it will shine in spite of you — only don't hide it 
under a bushel. Let it shine. Confess Christ everywhere." 
" Satan got his match when he came across John Bunyan," he 
remarked. "He thought he had done a shrewd thing when he 
got the poor tinker stuck into Bedford Jail, but that was one of 
his blunders. It was there that Bunyan wrote the ' Pilgrim's 
Progress,' and no doubt he was more thankful for the imprison- 
ment than for anything else in his life." 

Speaking of the goodness of God and of "grace abounding," 
he told a striking story of a rich man who sent to a poor friend 
in distress $25 in an envelope, on which he wrote, " More to 
follow." " Now," said he, " which was the more welcome — the 
money or the gracious promise of further help ? So it is with 
God's grace ; there is always more to follow. Let us thank 
God, not only for what he gives us, but for what he promises — 
more to follow." Contrasting the law and the Gospel, he said. 
" Moses, in Egypt, turned water into blood, which is death. 
Christ turned water into wine, which is life, joy, and gladness." 
Speaking of future punishment in one of his Rink sermons, he 
said, " God will not punish us. We shall punish ourselves. 
When we come before God He will turn us over to ourselves. 
Go and read the book of your memory, He will say." Urging 
the duty of immediate repentance and the joy in heaven over a 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 24 1 

repentant sinner, he said, " If the President should die to-night, 
or if the Governor of the State should be shot, that would make 
an outcry here. But perhaps even so great an event would not 
be mentioned in heaven at all. But," said he, raising his voice 
a little, " if some sinner in this assembly were just now con- 
verted, there would be a great shout of joy in heaven." Dwell- 
ing upon the certainty of future punishment, he remarked. 
" Some people doubt it ; they think God is so loving that He 
will make no distinctions in another world. But do you 
imagine that when men had become so wicked that God sent a 
flood to exterminate them because they were not fit to live on 
earth — do you suppose that when the waters came and drowned 
them, He took all this wicked generation into his bosom and 
left pooi righteous Noah to drift about in his ark ? Do you 
suppose that when His chosen people crossed the Red Sea, 
and Pharaoh's host were drowned, God took those idolatrous 
Egyptians directly to heaven and let the children of Israel 
wander miserably over the desert for forty years ? " 

Speaking of the real objects to be attained by prayer, he said, 
" If you have a thorn in your foot, you are to pray, not that 
God shall relieve you of the physical pain — He can do that 
too — but what you are to ask Him for is grace and strength 
to bear the pain patiently. We should thank God for our trib- 
ulations ; they are sent to us as blessings ; they bring us to 
Him." Again, " Many things we want God knows are not good 
for us ; if He gives them it is that we may learn through suffer- 
ing ; if He withholds them it is because He loves us." Again 
he said, " Suppose a man going from here to Chicago, who knows 
me and my wife. When he gets there he goes to see her, 
and he says, ' I saw Mr. Moody in Brooklyn.' And then, when 
she is naturally anxious to hear all about me, suppose he goes 
on to speak about himself, to tell her how he felt on the cars 
and where he stopped, and what he said and did and ate. 
Would not she presently tell him that it was not him she 
wanted to hear about, but me ? " Nor is he backward in im- 
pressing upon those who listen to him their own responsibility. 
" People attending these meetings during these two weeks," he 
11 



242 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

said, "will be either better or worse. They will not go away 
the same men and women. If I did not want to be a Christian 
do you think I would ever go where the Gospel is preached ? 
If any of you have made up your minds not to be Christians I 
advise you to get up and go out at once. It is not safe for you 
to be here." 

I do not know whether these passages which I have given 
from Mr. Moody's exhortations will seem to those who read 
them as forcible as they were to me who heard them. I took 
down at the time what appeared to me his most striking utter- 
ances, as the best way of showing wherein bis power over his 
audiences consists. That he is a man of genuine power there 
can be no doubt. He has gathered, and held in silent attention, 
and deeply moved, some of the largest assemblies that any 
speaker has addressed in America ; at least in our day. For 
my part I do not doubt that his words have left a lasting im- 
pression upon a great many men and women. And he has done 
this without frantic or passionate appeals ; without the least of 
what we commonly call eloquence. He has none of the vehe- 
mence of Peter Cartvvright or Elder Knapp, and he possesses 
none of the personal advantages or culture of an orator. Instead 
of all these he has a profound conviction of the reality of the 
future life ; a just idea of its importance compared with this 
life and of the relations of the two, and an unhesitating belief 
in the literal truth of the Bible. It is, of course, his own deep 
and earnest conviction which enables him to impress others. 

Mr. Sankey has an effective voice, a clear pronunciation, 
and, I should think, a quick ear to catch simple and tender 
melodies. His singing was, I suspect, more effective and 
affecting in England than here, because the hymns he sings 
were not as familiar to his English hearers as they are to 
Americans, most of whom have been brought up in Sunday 
schools, or have heard their children sing their Sunday-school 
hymns at home. He is evidently a favorite with the Rink and 
Tabernacle audiences, and he has a pathetic and sympathetic 
voice. But to me the main figure is Mr. Moody. Of course a 
daily paper is not the place in which to discuss his theology, 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 243 

even if I desired to do so. Those to whom his creed is false or 
offensive need not go to hear him. But as to the general ten- 
dency and usefulness of his work, it seems to me clear that if 
there is a future life, it is useful to have it and its relations to 
the present life sometimes brought vividly before men and 
women actively and anxiously engaged in the daily struggle for 
bread. Mr. Moody addresses himself to a multitude thus ab- 
sorbed ; his exhortations raise them for a time out of themselves, 
out of sordid cares and engrossing pursuits, and present to them 
in a vivid, epigrammatic, often pathetic, always simple and nat- 
ural way, the greatest questions and interests which can be 
brought to the consideration of a being gifted with immortal life. 
It is surely a great merit to do this, and to do it as these "evan- 
gelists " do it — calmly, without mere passionate appeals, without 
efforts to capture the imagination of their hearers, and without 
noisy or disorderly demonstrations among their hearers. 

Turning, now, from this thorough and just estimate of these 
men to the results of their labors, we find many incidents of 
thrilling interest. The requests for prayer at the morning 
prayer-meetings revealed the universal awakening that has seized 
upon the whole people; and they also exposed the pitifulness 
of our human condition, by unveiling the vast variety of needs 
pressing on the hearts of myriads of sufferers. Says one 
report : 

The requests for prayers exceeded in number those of any 
previous day. There were twenty-five for cities and towns, 
twenty-seven for revivals in churches ; one for the evangelists 
now laboring in Minnesota, one for the Oswego State Normal 
School, one for a young ladies' boarding school ; eight for 
Sunday-school classes ; six for Sunday-schools ; four clergymen 
for themselves ; seventeen for drunkards ; and four hundred 
and forty-seven for different persons, many being from parents 
for wayward sons and daughters, and from wives for their hus- 
bands. Mr. Moody then offered prayer. 

Mr. E. W. Hawley then read requests as follows, all heads 
being bowed in silent prayer during the reading. Requests for a 
sceptic 88 years of age, who will not hear of Jesus ; for a father, 



244 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

three sons and a daughter ; for a daughter, father and mother sixty 
years of age ; for four sons and one daughter ; for two young men 
yesterday in the meeting in the church ; for a young lady who is 
a backslider ; for a mother who is sick ; for a daughter and son ; 
for a wife, husband and three daughters ; for a sister and three 
brothers ; for a person sick, that he may be kept from tempta- 
tion and doubt ; for a young man, an only son ; for a sick 
mother ; for a brother that he may be restored to health'; two 
requests for backsliders ; for a person very sick, that he may 
be kept from temptation and doubt ; for a young man, an only 
son ; for an organized band of praying young men ; a father for 
himself and six of his family ; a wife for a husband given to 
strong drink ; four requests for church members who have an 
appetite for strong drink ; three requests for an aged mother ; 
for a friend in danger through strong drink ; three requests for 
husbands and wives ; four requests for unconverted husbands ; 
two requests of mothers for health of their sons ; for one who 
feels if she delays longer she will be shut out from God's 
grace ; a widow for six children ; for a husband and father bit- 
terly opposed to attending church ; for sixteen young men by 
class-leader; a request for wives given up to the intoxicating 
cup ; four requests for fathers from sons ; one for a nephew ; a 
father and mother for seven sons, two of them intemperate. 

The reports brought into the morning meetings indicated the 
immediate results of the work : A woman came into the inquiry 
meetings broken hearted. She was a wife and a mother. 
After she had laid hold on Christ herself, she wanted us to 
pray for her husband and children Last evening she came in, 
leading that husband by the hand. That man got up and said 
he would accept Christ. This mother, six months ago, received 
a letter from her mother in England, asking that when our 
American friends (Messrs. Moody and Sankey) came to 
America, they would come to their meetings. Another letter 
was received from Scotland by an infidel from his mother. He 
last night came to the inquiry meeting. I talked with him. 
He had a fearful struggle. He was a civil engineer. For a 
good many years he had roamed around the world, preaching 



MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 245 

against Christ. He did not believe that he preached. It was 
the devil in him. He was on a vessel in a storm, and as they 
thought the ship was going down, he, like a poor coward, fell 
on his knees in prayer. But after the storm he forgot it. For 
the last two days this man has been in terrible agony. He 
said : " I am in terror ; my heart is broken. I'll lay down 
the weapons of my rebellion. I'll write to my mother in Scot- 
land about it to-morrow." Keep on praying. 

At the inquiry .meeting there were two or three hundred 
seekers, many of them youths of from twelve to sixteen years 
of age. 

A curious scene was observed at the entrance of the chapel 
of the Simpson M. E. Church. A man and wmoan of middle 
age and well dressed, coming down Willoughby avenue with 
the throng after the services in the Rink, stopped at the 
gateway in front of the chapel. After a moment of hurried, 
earnest conversation, the man stepped backward away from the 
woman toward the chapel steps, all the time looking reproach- 
fully at her. He mounted the steps and was about to cross the 
threshold when the woman stepped quickly forward and, putting 
her face between the iron bars of the fence, said, in troubled 
tones : " I will not go in that place ; you shall not ; come away 
at once." She walked hurriedly away and the man followed. 

Yesterday, at our Sunday-school, in place of the usual 
closing exercises, we invited the scholars to remain for a prayer- 
meeting. Five hundred remained. Twenty rose and asked for 
prayers, and seven, we think, found peace in believing. Last 
evening at the Rink very many souls were brought to Christ. 
In the inquiry-room it seemed as if all on each side of me were 
anxious to find Christ. Going home last night, as I walked 
down the street, I talked with three young men. — one of them 
was anxious, but hesitated. I said to him, " You can be con- 
verted before you reach yonder lamp-post, if you will." When 
within twelve feet of it he stopped still, and after a struggle said, 
" I will," with intense feeling. I turned to his companion, and 
after a struggle he said, " Yes, I too." The third companion 
stiil remained. We knelt down with him around the lamp-post, 



246 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

and after a prayer he accepted Christ. The presence of God 
was felt in this city yesterday. Thanks be to His Holy name. 

A man in the gallery said he wanted to say a word of en- 
couragement. In the Rink a man sat before him, singing with 
a strong voice — a fine-looking gentleman. Something said to 
me : " I must speak to that man. It was an effort. With 
trembling voice I said : " Are you a Christian ? " " No ; I can't 
say I am." I asked him to go to the inquiry-room. He said 
f 'No ; it is to conspicuous." I said, "I'll go with you; people 
won't know which of us is a sinner." He said, "Perhaps, 
presently." I said, a few moments after, " Presently has come." 
He went with me, sat down and talked with me, and in one 
half-hour had given himself definitely to Christ. 

Last night at the Rink I went to get a lady to come to the 
inquiry-room. I sent a lady to go for her daughter. She said, 
" I can't leave here at present." The lady who went for the 
daughter said, at the close of the Rink meeting, she felt so im- 
pressed that she must pray for some one who would not come 
to the inquiry-meeting. She rose up and prayed in the body of 
that church. Pretty soon the daughter came running into the 
church, almost out of breath, and said, "Your prayer has 
reached me. Nothing had ever reached me before your prayer." 
The mother also said, " Your prayer saved me ; " and they sat 
down there and all were blessed together. 

A man rose and related the conversion of a soldier with an 
empty sleeve, and a badge on his breast, revealing the shat- 
tered remnant of a noble man. His parents were members of 
the Reformed Church of Kinderhook. He came out of the 
army a drunkard. His wife and children returned from 
Sunday-school one day, and his little girl said to him, "Jesus 
loves you." He pushed her away in anger, and rushed out to 
a drinking saloon to drink. Just as he was putting the glass 
to his lips, a little girl rose, as if in a mirror, before him, and 
he seemed to hear ringing in his ears, " Father, Jesus loves 
you." Pie dropped the glass, and rushed out, and walked the 
streets all night in agony. He went home and said to hu 
wife, "Betsy, I want you to pray for me." This man is now 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



247 



laboring every day in Water street, New York, trying to save 
the lost drunkards there, without pay for his-service. 

Mr. Moody then related, in closing, a very affecting incident 
of the reconciliation of a prodigal son and stern father at the 
bedside of a dying mother, whose last act in expiring was to 
place their hands in each other's clasp. The story was so feel- 
ingly told that a spell of suppressed emotion seemed to sway 
the vast audience, and when Mr. Moody said, "Let us pray," 
while the people were silently communing, Mr. Sankey's voice 
plaintively breathed forth, " Come home, prodigal child." The 
spell was broken, and there was a wail of passionate weeping ; 
the grief of the young man particularly, who sat near the plat- 
form, becoming almost uncontrollable. Mr. Moody noticed 
this at once, and checked the excitement by stopping Mr. 
Sankey at the end of the first verse, asking the audience to rise 
and sing, " There is a fountain filled with blood." 

The self-restraint and the genuineness of Mr. Moody's work 
was never more signally displayed than in this slight circum- 
stance. He might have allowed the excitement to have swept 
on till it became a religious frenzy, which would have been 
the case in a few minutes, and many mistaken religious leaders 
would have done so for the mere gratification of their own love 
of excitement. But Mr. Moody, realizing that mere excite- 
ment is not healthy, checked it, while that was possible, leav- 
ing to the influences of the Holy Spirit the completion of the 
work which had evidently commenced in many hearts. 

Rev. Mr. Dixon, a colored minister, of Concord Street 
Baptist Church, said Friday morning the Lord touched him in 
the Rink, while Mr. Moody was preaching about Daniel, and 
he got up and ran home to his closet, and he was obliged now 
to ask the Lord to stay his hand, he was so full of the joy of 
the Lord. 

The brother of Orville Gardner arose and said that Orville 
said to him, " Though I am a cripple and cannot walk, go and 
fight for Jesus." God is in Brooklyn and He will shake this 
place from top to bottom if we only trust in Him. 

Rev. Mr. Murray related the conversion of a man of intellect 



248 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

and character and a very dear friend, who was addicted to 
strong drink. The speaker invited him to go to the Rink 
meeting to hear Mr. Moody. He said : " I'll do it for your 
sake." He went and God touched his heart. On his way home 
he resolved he would crush his appetite and curb his profanity, 
and set up his family altar there for the first time in the history 
of his family. He met me the next day, and embraced me with 
tears of thankfulness that I asked him to go to the Rink meet- 
ing. We don't know what results come from little things. He 
asked me to come here this morning and ask you to bear him 
up in your prayers. 

A young man in terrible agony and tears said he wanted to 
find Jesus. We told him how the best we could. He left the 
place greatly relieved. The next night he came to the plat- 
form with his face shining with joy. He went for his younger 
brother, and he was the next day rejoicing in Christ. Another 
young man came to the meeting at the Rink, and could not get 
in. He wandered around and went to the Dutch Church ad- 
joinings which was empty. About nine o'clock the young man 
came into the young men's meeting and I prevailed on him to 
stay. That night God spoke to his conscience. He did not 
believe in anything. He went away saying that he would pray 
for himself. The next night he came and said, " Pray for me." 
Last Thursday morning, you may remember, I made a request 
for a young lady sick of consumption, asking that her pains 
might be relieved. God told me to rise that morning and make 
request, which I did. Friday morning her pains left her. She 
rose from her bed, made her little bequests of money and gifts 
to benevolent objects and friends. She sat up on her couch 
all through the evening, talking, with her mind perfectly clear. 
Pretty soon her senses left her, one by one. She says. " It is 
all dark now. I can't see, but it is all bright over there." 
Pretty soon she said : " I can't hear now. But Christ is here, 
all here; doubts are gone." At 1.30 a. m., Sunday morning 
she went to her rest. That prayer last Thursday morning for 
this sick young lady was answered. All through the last week 
I was praying for my own son, eighteen years old, my son 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



249 



Walter. He attended meetings at the Rink several times with- 
out much feeling. He last night carne out of the inquiry room 
with brother Sankey, relying on Jesus. 

In the Simpson Church occurred a number of singular scenes. 
Inquirers and all who desired entrance were first directed into 
the main auditorium. A continuous stream of people poured 
in from all entrances, front and rear. Mr. Moody took charge 
of the meeting, and while the throng were crowding in, a num- 
ber of hymns were sung. When the church was thoroughly full, 
Mr. Moody asked those who were inquirers and who were really 
in earnest about their salvation to pass into the inquiry room 
while the audience sang, "Just as I Am." Immediately the sing- 
ing commenced, two long processions filed through the two 
doors into the chapel. They were composed principally of 
young men. After the inquirers had retired, Mr. Moody asked 
all who were Christians to rise. Very few were left sitting. 
While a hymn was sung, he went down an aisle and spoke to a 
few of these, and then after leaving the meeting, to continue as 
a prayer meeting, went into the inquiry room. The number 
of inquirers dealt with was estimated to be from a hundred 
to a hundred and fifty. A number of Mr. Moody's Christian 
helpers dealt with many of these. About fifty gathered about 
Mr. Moody himself, to whom he made plain the way of life. 
Among his coadjutors at present is Mr. Needham, the well 
known Irish evangelist. Mr. Needham, as we announced, was 
to have sailed on the Spain on Saturday for Europe. His 
family were placed on board, and everything had been prepared 
for travelling, when about noon Mr. Moody and Mr. McWil- 
liams came to endeavor to persuade him to remain and assist 
the Brooklyn work, He took two hours to pray about it, and 
concluded to stay. His visit abroad is therefore indefinitely 
postponed, perhaps until next summer. He has now no plans 
for the future, and will simply follow divine guidance. He will 
take charge of one of the overflow meetings, and in other ways 
aid Mr. Moody. 

The Christian workers present last night were jubilant. 
One word was on many a tongue — " It's grand." An old gen- 



250 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

tleman said : " The ice is broken." Dr. Duryea says a young 
man of his acquaintance, of very fine culture and wide reading, 
came to him, took his hand, and said: "Doctor, I'm going." 
He was the first to rise in the main auditorium when Mr. Moody 
called upon inquirers. He had read German writers on meta- 
physics, and become befogged and verging on Universalism,but 
Mr. Moody's sermon went home, and broke sunlight through the 
vapor and mystification in his mind. Cheering instances like 
these occur and attest the force of divine truth, while they uplift 
the courage of Christian laborers. 

Many people ask, " How many people have been converted 
by the special services that are being held?" and they want to 
measure the good done by an arithmetical calculation. So 
many sermons preached, so many prayers offered, so many 
hymns sung, so many people gathered at the services, and so 
many converted, is the rule which some who do not understand 
the nature of religious work seek to apply. The number of 
conversions will probably never be known ; certainly, it is not 
important that any accurate statement of this part of the work 
should now be made. There are, however, some questions 
which we have a right to ask. Are the Christians of Brooklyn 
being stirred up to holy enthusiasm and consecrated service ? 
Is there any general awakening among the church members ? 
Do they hear the call of the Master to go out into the highways 
and hedges — into the dark places of the city — to compel by their 
loving entreaty and earnest counsel the hardened and ignorant 
and depraved and self-righteous to come and listen to the good 
tidings of salvation ? These are questions that may be asked, 
and to which answers in the affirmative can now be given. 
The churches of Brooklyn were never more alive to their re- 
sponsibilities than now, and this gives hope that a genuine re- 
vival has already commenced, the ultimate result of which may 
not be estimated, and will never be known. 

One of the most hopeful and encouraging features of the 
Brooklyn special services, conducted by the Messrs Moody and 
Sankey, has been the united and perfectly harmonious action of 
the ministers and lavmen of all denominations of Christians. 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



251 



Frequently may be seen thirty or forty of the city pastors gath- 
ered around the platform in the Tabernacle at the morning 
prayer-meetings, and all ready to do their utmost towards in- 
creasing the interest and success of the services. All minor 
differences have sunk into obscurity in view of the great work 
which is being carried on ; and there is no thought of sectarian- 
ism in the heart of any man or woman actively engaged in the 
work of winning souls. This union spirit was, it will be remem- 
bered, also a leading characteristic of the revival movement in 
Great Britain. 

Another feature of blessing is an increased use of the Bible 
by the attendants, who are constantly urged and inspired to its 
study by the speaker's appeals and example. 

Mr. Moody's habit of Bible study has been for the past five 
years to rise at five o'clock and give an hour in the early morn- 
ing to the study of the Bible. This is one secret of his great 
Bible knowledge. 

Mr. Moody's Bible is an interesting book. It was given him 
by a friend, and bears on the fly-leaf the words : " D. L. Moody, 
Dublin, December, 1872.— ' God is love.' W. Fay." The Bible 
is an 8vo volume, with flexible black morocco covers and turned 
edges. Though given Moody in the last month of 1872. it 
appears as if it might have seen ten years' service. Some of 
the leaves are worn through with handling. But nearly every 
page gives another and more positive proof of the study Mr. 
Moody has given the Book. In the Old Testament many por- 
tions are annotated on nearly every page. Especially is this true 
of those parts treating of the history of the Israelites, the chosen 
people of God. But in the New Testament, open the book 
wherever one may, the pages are marked and annotated in 
black, red, and blue ink to a wonderful extent. Sometimes 
certain words are underscored ; again a whole verse is inclosed 
in black lines, with mysterious numbers or a single letter of the 
alphabet marked opposite. All around the margins and at the 
chapter-heads are comments on certain passages — an idea em- 
bodied in two or three words, with the more important word 
underscored. Turning to the texts of the sermons Mr. Moody 



252 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

has preached in Brooklyn, one finds the burden of his themes 
often embodied one of those marginal notes. There is scarcely 
a page in the New Testament where a dozen such annotations 
could not be counted ; while in some instances every space in 
the margin is filled, and hardly a sentence has escaped the 
evangelist's pen. 

In combating men's trivial objections he said; one of the 
worst excuses is the old Bible. Of all the sceptics that I have 
ever heard talk against -the Bible, I have yet to find the first 
one that has ever read it from back to back. They read a 
chapter here and there, and lay it down and say it is dark and 
mysterious to them, and they don't understand it, and they 
never will understand it until they are spiritually minded, for 
its truths are spiritually discerned. No unrenewed man can 
understand it. What he can know is that he has sinned. 
Everything tells you that in your experience in life. Your rest- 
less spirit and anxious soul, whether you acknowledge it or not, 
prove it. You can know from the Bible that Jesus Christ came 
to save you, a sinner, and prove it by trying it. 

The Bible ought to be read right through. It is only .then you 
can know the music, the swell, the cadence, the rapture and 
sorrow, the triumph and the tears, of God's Word. What 
would you know of your boy's letter, if you were to read the 
superscription on Monday, to look at the signature on Friday, 
and read a little in the middle of it three months afterwards ? I 
get tired toward the end of July and I go away to the mountains. 
I take the Bible with me ; I read it through, and I feel as if I 
had never seen the book before. I have spent most of my life 
in reading and expounding it, yet it seems as if I had never seen 
it. It is so new, so rich, so varied, the truth flashing from a 
thousand unexpected and undiscovered points, with a light 
above the brightness of the sun. And that summer reading of 
the Bible is what I call tuning the instrument. 

If anybody does not believe the Bible, he has never read it 
through ; he may have read a little here and there, with general 
commentaries and criticisms between, but he has not read the 
whole. Once two men said, "We will disprove the conversion 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



2 53 



of Paul." They read it through — and wrote a book in proof of 
it. So will God deal with all destructive critics who really make 
themselves masters of the situation they intended to overthrow. 

It is wonderful, if you read the whole, how it gets hold of you 
somewhere. I have tried it ; and I appeal to you who know it 
best, whether you will willingly let it drop out of your fingers, 
when it has once got into the movement and necessity of your 
being. 

One secret of his power is well described by himself: Mr. 
Moody chose his subject, " The Holy Ghost," and related an 
incident in his early life as an evangelist, when an old gentle- 
man had said to him : " Young man, when you speak again, 
honor the Holy Ghost." Mr. Moody said he had never for- 
gotten the advice, and had profited much from it. "The Holy 
Spirit is a person. We get life through the Holy Ghost. We 
can have no revival save through Him. He gives hope. When 
He ai rives we lean upon something more than human supports. 
Men often utter the prayers which they spoke twenty years ago. 
We only know how to pray when we have the Holy Spirit. 
There are two kinds of Christians. The one class are as an 
ordinary well, from which you must pump all their religion. 
The other are artesian, and send forth the waters of love con- 
tinually. If we are full of the Spirit to-day, it is no assurance 
for to-morrow. We must keep at the fountain all the time. 
Think of Elisha, how he followed Elijah and at last received his 
robe and a double portion of his grace. That old farmer made 
the mightiest prophet the world ever saw. The Church is living 
too much upon old manna. They think one supply enough for 
their life." When Mr. Moody had finished the whole congre- 
gation sang the 128th hymn, "Come Holy Spirit." 

Another Element of influence has been forcibly stated : here 
is our view of the case : Unselfishness is the greatest power in 
the world. The man who gladly makes sacrifices for the honor 
of God and the well being of mankind wields an immense power. 
When the Holy Spirit is allowed to enter and occupy, the hearts 
of men selfishness disappears. Selfishness and the Holy Spirit 
cannot dwell together. It is because of the absolute unselfish- 



254 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



Ulti- 

,not 



ness of these evangelists now working in Brooklyn that multi 
tudes hear them gladly. They are earnest and enthusiastic, 
seeking their own, but Christ's glory. They themselves are 
nothing — Christ is everything. 

Persistent effort has been made by the enemies of pure and 
undefiled religion to discover flaws in the character and methods 
of these men. The world itself, which generally delights in 
truthfulness, and fair play, has frowned down the effort as dis- 
honorable. Honest Christians know well the falsity of the ac- 
cusation. These self denying men have no stain of Caesar's 
gold about them. They are after souls, not money. They are 
engaged in heaven's mission, working to lift society from the 
debasing bondage of Satan to the blessed service of Christ. In 
self-sacrifice they are strong. Consistent and self-denying lives 
are yet largely an undeveloped power within the Church. 
Unworthy membership breeds much mischief. It was at this 
citadel of sin that Moody and Sankey directed their first shot. 
The sacred fort has in too many cases been betrayed into the 
hands of the enemy through the foes within it. The world is 
not reading God's word, but scanning closely the lives of Chris- 
tian professors, and they find many grievous blemishes. It is 
because Moody and Sankey are like Enoch walking daily with 
God, that they are honored and successful. They have learned 
that most difficult lesson that we cannot serve God and mam- 
mon. They are fully persuaded that they are their brother's 
keeper ; and men flock after them to hear the truths of the 
Gospel in all their grand simplicity ; to learn from men who in 
their lives and labors present glorious examples of the blessed 
influence of the Gospel message. They are bold, yet most un- 
assuming soldiers of the cross ; not afraid of the warfare, but 
rejoicing in the conflict. It is upon such that the blessing of 
heaven descends. There is no difficulty in understanding the 
power of these men. It is of God. They are living obedient 
lives. If we fail to perceive the connection the fault is our own. 
The scales have not yet fallen from our eyes. 

Mr. Sankey's singing has caused almost as great an awaken- 
ing as his associate's preaching. Choristers have probably as 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



255 



seldom adopted Sankey's songs as ministers have used Moody's 
sermons, but the power of song has been realized as never be- 
fore, the artistic quartette with its soulless music is going out of 
favor, and congregations are being lectured, with good effect, 
about their neglect of one of the most effective means of 
worship. 

A pervading sentiment of vigor of soul and the deepest sin- 
cerity animates him. He is possessed of all the enthusiasm 
which fills the speech of Mr. Moody, and brands his words on 
the minds and in the hearts of men as by fire. But it is enthu- 
siasm subdued to the rhythm and melody of his songs, and stirs 
the souls of his hearers by the feeling it awakens of genuine 
and whole-souled praise, such as the devout heart in moments 
of religious exaltation may long for but seldom attains fully. 
This is the impression left by a first hearing of Mr. Sankey, 
as stated by many, and confirmed by the almost breathless si- 
lence during the execution of his solos, and the fervor with 
which the vast body of the audience join their voices to swell 
the chorus of praise. Another source of power to Mr. Sankey 
is the manner in which he subordinates and modulates the organ 
in the reinforcement of his voice. The effect produced is some- 
thing which would hardly seem attainable were Mr. Sankey to 
sing to the accompaniment of some other person. Mr. Sankey 
sings and plays with his whole soul and body. He is, however, 
entirely free from anything which might be called a mannerism, 
and his passages of greatest force are executed with great vigor 
and animation of body, wholly natural, and suggested by the 
sentiment and stirring feeling of the hymn. 

In explanation of the chorus, " Hold the Fort for I am Com- 
ing," he said that during the Rebellion one of the Union officers 
in command of a fort closely invested by General Hood, was 
almost persuaded, by the distress of his men, to surrender the 
position, when he received a dispatch from General Sherman 
to this effect : " Hold the fort fori am coming— W. T. Sherman." 
It filled the soldiers with confidence, they kept up courage and 
were saved. He exhorted those present to show an equally 
abiding faith in Christ and they would be saved. 



256 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Sankey produced a remarkable effect by the manner in 
which he rendered the last line, "Victory is nigh/' and dwelt 
with redoubled force upon the word "Hold," until the vast 
chorus had caught the spirit and action of the leader. Mr. 
Sankey also sang the verses of the 18th hymn, " Rescue the 
perishing," but the audience did not respond as enthusiastically 
as usual in the chorus. After the services Mr. Sankey said 
that this hymn was new, at least he had not had it very long, 
and that a large portion of the audience was unacquainted with 
the tune. He was confident they would sing it with the usual 
force after hearing it a few more times. He expressed himself 
highly pleased with the interest the audiences had shown in the 
singing throughout the week, and said that feature of the meet- 
ings was very similar to their experience in London. 

One of the most celebrated of Mr. Sankey's collection of 
hymns is " The Ninety and Nine." It was a favorite in Eng- 
land, and is much admired here. Several statements concern- 
ing its origin have been published which conflict with each other, 
and no one of them, Mr. Sankey said yesterday, is correct. The 
true facts in the case are these : Some time in 1873, Mr. 
Sankey being then in England with Mr. Moody for the first 
time, bought a copy of The Christian Age, a London religious 
paper publishing Dr. Talmage's sermons, and in one corner 
found this hymn. He had never seen nor heard of it before. 
It pleased him, and seemed adapted to religious work. He 
cut it out of the paper, and three days afterward he sung it at 
a meeting in Free Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, having com- 
posed the music himself. A short time after, he received a 
letter from a lady thanking him for having sung the hymn, and 
stating that the author was her sister, Miss Eliza C. Claphane 
of Melrose, Scotland. She had written the hymn in 1868 and 
shortly after died. She and her whole family were members 
of the Church of Scotland, and were not Unitarians, as stated 
in this country. Mr. Sankey replied to the lady's letter, asking 
if her sister had ever written any other hymns, and was told 
that she had written several others which were sent to The 
Family Treasury, a religious paper of which the late Dr. Arnot 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



*57 



was the editor, but only "The Ninety and Nine" was ever 
published. Mr. Sankey communicated with him, and received 
several pieces of manuscript. The only other hymn by the 
same author in Mr. Sankey's collection is the 43d, " Beneath 
the Cross of Jesus." He has been gathering hymns for the 
past eight years, keeping a scrap-book for that purpose. Many 
of them are found in the common Sunday-school collections, 
and were not known in England before Moody and Sankey 
introduced them. Since that time they have become the most 
popular hymns in Great Britain. While the evangelists were 
in Scotland they at first found difficulty in inducing people to 
sing their hymns, as the Presbyterians preferred their version 
of the Psalms. The evangelists were accustomed to sing the 
100th, 23d, and 40th Psalms, or the 1st, 107th, and 125th 
Hymns of the collection, and then ask the Presbyterian to sing 
" Hold the Fort," which they usually did, and at length sang 
any of the hymns. 

The record of God's gracious dealings by the agency of his 
honored servants in Brooklyn promises to be eclipsed by the 
brilliant display of divine mercy on their work in Philadelphia ; 
and we may bring our review to a close by giving the keynote 
as struck by Mr. Moody the morning of his advent in the city 
of churches. 

" Ah ! Lord God ! behold thou hast made the Heaven and 
the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm and there 
is nothing too hard for thee." 

" And there is nothing too hard for thee." During the past 
two years, into every town and city that Mr. Sankey and I have 
gone, we always took this verse as the keynote to our work. 
We generally commence every prayer-meeting by reading this 
verse — nothing is too hard for God — and it was a wonderful 
help to us. Sometimes our ways seemed hard ways. Then we 
came back to the old text and these ways were freed from all 
darkness. It sometimes seemed as if some men could not be 
converted. But we came back to the old text, and flinty hearts 
would break. At Edinburgh I was told that a young man who 
was pointed out to me was the chairman of an infidel club. I 



258 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

went and stood beside him, and asked him if he was thinking 
of his soul. He turned to me and said, " How do you know 
I've got one?" I thought it was no use trying, but then I 
thought nothing is too hard for God. I asked him if I might 
pray for him. He said, " You may pray if you like. Try your 
hand on me." I got down on my knees and prayed for him. 
His head was held up and his eyes did not notice me, and he 
seemed to say to the people that my prayers did not affect him 
at all. For six long months prayers were daily offered in 
prayer-meetings for the infidel. This was in January or the lat- 
ter part of December, and a year afterward, or a little over a 
year, when we were at work in Liverpool, I got a letter from a 
person in Edinburgh, who said that the infidel was at the foot 
of the cross, crying for mercy ; and just as we were leaving 
England we heard that he was leading a meeting every night. 
I was to give you this as our key-note — nothing is too hard 
for God. It is just as easy for God to save the most abandoned 
man as for me to turn my hand over. If this is God's work, we 
had better cling to it ; if this is Christ's work, it is as lasting as 
eternity itself. I have a good deal more hope of this prayer- 
meeting than the meetings at the Rink. It is not preaching 
that you want you have plenty of preaching. You have plenty 
of men who can preach better than I can. You have plenty of 
men who can sing better than Mr. Sankey can. Let this be 
your key-note — nothing is too hard for God to do in His great 
power. 

I asked my boy how God created the world. He said, " He 
spoke." That is all ; " He said, let there be light, and there 
was light." He can convert the thief, the harlot, the most 
abandoned, and another class still harder, that is the self-right- 
eous Pharisee. God can do it. Nothing is too hard for him. 
Let us every morning keep this text in our hearts, " Nothing 
is too hard for thee." Our God can do it. They tell us that 
the sun is thirteen hundred thousand times larger than the 
world, and our God created it. There have been eighty millions 
of other suns discovered, but these are only a fringe on the 
garments of God. Our God did it all. If, then, God is so 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 259 

great, shall we not ask him for great things ? We honor God 
by asking for great things. Alexander had a general who ac- 
complished a great victory ; and it pleased him greatly. He 
told the general to draw on his treasurer for any amount he 
wished, and directed his treasurer to honor the draft. The 
draft was so large that the treasurer was afraid to pay it. The 
emperor said, "Didn't I tell you to honor his draft? Don't 
you know he honors me by making so large a draft?" Don't 
you know we honor God by asking for great things ? The 
church has been asking for little things too long. 

Let us go now to the 20th verse. "Behold I am the Lord, 
the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard foi me ? " 
Just as if it pleased him. He says to Jeremiah, " Is there 
anything too hard for me? I am the Lord, the God of all 
flesh." God has shown us great things, but when we accept 
his truth we will see still greater things. 

The next chapter, 3d verse : " Call unto Me and I will 
answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou 
knowest not." Now, my friends, let us this morning call upon 
God, and when we pray let us ask him for something. There 
are a great many who come for nothing, and therefore they get 
nothing. Let us come with some great burden upon our hearts 
— some great petition. Let us bring it before God. Let us try 
it. When a man was one time making a long prayer, and ask- 
ing for nothing in particular, an old woman says, "Ask God 
for something, and see if he don't give it you." Let us ask 
for something, and we will get it. Let every mother ask for the 
salvation of her sons and daughters. Nothing is too hard 
for him. We may not see the answers to our prayers, but 
God does answer the prayers of the faithful. 

Between thirty and forty years ago, at a prayer-meeting 
which I held, there was a mother who had a very bad son. He 
was a very bad man ; he was very profane and was one of the 
noted men of the town for his sin. And when the church was 
struck with lightning he said he would have given $25 if it had 
burned it down. During the past few weeks the Lord God has 
found him. He has resolved to stop swearing and come back 



260 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

to church. I asked him to go down on his knees and pray. 
He answered that he had been on his knees all day. We may 
not see the answers to our prayers, but God answers the prayer 
of faith. Let us pray. 

Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this " Sweet Hour 
of Prayer." We thank thee for the privilege we have this 
morning of coming to this place and worshipping, and we pray 
that thou wouldst give us the spirit of prayer. Teach us how 
to pray. May we come and ask thee great things. Nothing 
is too hard for thee. So we pray that thou would take the 
whole country to thyself and lay it at thy feet. Do a work in 
this country that shall make ail men embrace salvation. In 
answer to prayer may there go up a cry, " What shall I do to 
be saved ? " Teach thy servant to preach. Send him a mes- 
sage from the upper world to-night, and may his words come 
from the heart and go to the hearts of many. We pray for 
these mothers that are here this morning. May they pray for 
their sons and daughters, that they may be saved. We pray 
for these Sunday-school teachers who have unconverted schol- 
ars ; may they labor and pray much. We pray that the chil- 
dren may be gathered into the fold of Christ. May the harvest 
be ripe, and may we come to this place carrying our sheaves, 
and Christ will have all the praise and glory. Amen. 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 261 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Evangelists in Philadelphia. 

Their advance on Philadelphia had been carefully prepared 
for by earnest, wise, and strong men, who arranged for a gigantic 
campaign corresponding with the greatness of their city, and the 
popularity of the men who had carried Brooklyn by storm. The 
freight depot, corner Thirteenth and Market Streets, was fitted up 
for the accommodation of twelve thousand persons, as many as it 
was probable the preacher's voice could reach. A grand choir 
of rive hundred trained and superior singers was drilled to act 
as a choir to aid Mr. Sankey, and a union of churches effected, 
by which all the ablest and most efficient Christians were com- 
bined in solid phalanx. Unworn by the immense labors undergone 
in Brooklyn, the brethren tore themselves away from their friends 
there, and sped to the City of Brotherly Love, there to preach 
and sing of that Divine Love which is the theme of sermon and 
song by day and by night, wherever the evangelists set up their 
standard. Never had men equal advantages, and never was 
more expected of human beings. There was a feeling of need in 
the churches of something more than they had, and they were 
looking to the men whom God had so greatly honored, and stood 
ready to co-operate with them. In one branch of the church, 
this was the testimony: Rev. W. P. Corbit spoke with much 
earnestness. The Methodist Church, he said, was in a deplor- 
able condition. The chief causes were a laxity of discipline and 
a want of praying bands. A speedy remedy for this state of 
things was needed. No new agencies were wanted. The Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, worked by its own machinery, would 
take the world, if it were allowed to work. It is the pioneer 
church in this country. The remedy is in union of effort and 
activity. Preachers had been preaching their heads off nearly, 



262 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 

and yet were effecting nothing. There was a disintegration and 
selfishness about the Church. Each one of the church organiza- 
tions thought of itself only. There was a jealousy among the 
preachers and lay brethren that ought not to exist. The only 
remedy is union. There must be a coming together, and a re- 
turn to the old circuit system. Let the preachers and people 
gather together as Moody and Sankey have got them together. 
He did not depreciate Moody and Sankey, but they had many 
men in their own body who were just as gifted as they, or more 
so. It was not Moody, and it was not Sankey, but the power 
which they possess of bringing good people together to work for 
God. 

In another quarter it was said, and we may understand the 
language as confession : The Church was never more aggressive 
than now. Machinery was never better managed. There never 
was so much of it. The display of strength was never finer. But 
all this may be only equipped and organized weakness. The 
Church is nothing if not pious. More than this, it is very little 
if not consistently pious. To be zealously affected in a good 
cause, is good only on condition that it be "always" A church 
is an ekklesia — a company called out from the world. Its strength, 
therefore, lies in its divergence from the world. To be in it, yet 
not of it, is the double problem which our machinery and our 
spirit must combine to solve. 

Christians themselves were ready to be touched with an electric 
shock by these surcharged evangelists. And this was early seen 
to be a source of weakness as well as of strength to the work. Sin- 
ners were to be reached by these fiery apostles, and the church 
members filled all the seats before them. So that the cry has 
been raised by one of the papers, and may be repeated through- 
out the land, that Christians may stand in the way of the fullest 
success of the monster meetings likely to be held all over the 
country. 

The Brooklyn revival has been in certain features a sad disap- 
pointment to us who have taken an interest and part in it. Mr. 
Moody failed, it must be confessed, in his evening meetings at the 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 263 

Rink to reach that outside class which he sought. The reason 
for his failure is so discreditable that we almost hesitate to give 
it. But it must be confessed that it was the dishonesty, the self- 
ishness of excitement-seeking professed Christians, that made 
these meetings a partial failure. Mr. Moody tried his best to 
open the door into his meetings to those who are not church- 
goers, and to shut it against church-members. He begged these 
latter to stay at home. He plead with them ; but they still would 
come. He then issued tickets, that were offered only to the non- 
church-goers ; but the conscience-hardened professors would rob 
their unconverted neighbors of their tickets and lie their way into 
the Rink, and then have the face to stand up when all Christians 
were requested to rise, and thus flaunt their hypocrisy in the face 
of the evangelist. Our words are strong, but the responsibility 
of souls is on the head of these " Christians," who have yet to 
learn that Christianity means honor and truthfulness. We do not 
like to say these words ; but we commend them now to the mem- 
bers of the Philadelphia churches. In a famine, that man, or 
crowd of men, were beneath all contempt who, with cellars stored 
with grain and their cheeks standing out for fatness, should crowd" 
the bureaus of public charity, and prevent the poor from receiv- 
ing the dole that should save them from starvation. But nothing 
better, nay, worse, has been the conduct of these greedy profess- 
ors, very many of them from our cities, who have pushed the 
Brooklyn hungry, starving poor away from the Gospel feast. May 
the Lord not have mercy on their souls until they repent. 

It is an unusual spectacle to behold Christians so eager to be 
fed or taught, and it is probable that the blessed results will ap- 
pear in thousands of churches. 

A Scottish Sunday-school teacher says : " I venture to send 
you the following letter from London, because of the reference to 
young women's meetings, which are already proving so useful to 
the many girls in our country who consider themselves too grown 
up and too dignified to attend Sunday-school. The letter tells 
its own story, but I may just add, in thankful acknowledgment 
of our loving Father's willingness to bless the feeblest attempt 



264 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

of the weakest beginner, that that young lady was the very first 
stranger I ever spoke to about coming to Jesus. It was only the 
night before, while Mr. Moody was preaching, that I myself got 
into the sunshine ; and when that next night she sat beside me 
looking so sad, I could not help saying to her, ' Jesus has made 
me so happy, won't you let him make you happy too ? ' She 
seemed just waiting to be taken by the hand, and went with me 
almost at once to the inquiry-room. 

" I write now in testimony of the fact that I am one of the 
many, many ' church members ' who will thank God through all 
eternity for sending Messrs. Moody and Sankey to our country ; 
for, through their means, we have been led to exchange our 
hopes and fears for a glad certainty, and we can now say, '/ 
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to 
keep that which I have committed unto him.' 

" 'On his word I am resting, assurance divine, 
I am "hoping" no longer, I know he is mine.' 

" The following is the letter to which I have referred : 

"'London, October 3, 1875. 

" 'Dear Miss : I feel that I have neglected this duty too 

long. I ought to have written to you before. You were the 
means in God's, hands of making me one of his own children. 
Oh, how happy I have been since the night you won me for our 
blessed Redeemer ! You do not know who I am, but possibly 
you may remember me when I tell you that you gave me a red 
hymn-book of Mr. Sankey's with your address in it. It was at 
the Agricultural Hall I met you, and you took me into the in- 
quiry-room. After talking to me for some time you brought me 
to Mr. Moody, and Mr. Moody handed me over, with several 
other young women, to a gentleman from Newcastle, and before 
I left the inquiry-room I had found Jesus as my Saviour. How 
precious he has been to me since that night ! I went to hear 
Mr. Moody that evening out of mere curiosity, and had you not 
taken me into the inquiry -room, possibly I should have gone 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



265 






away unimpressed. Afterward I went several times to hear Mr. 
Mood}' at the Opera House. I heard the address to the con- 
verts there, and may the burning zeal I felt created in my breast 
that night continue. How I wish I had more leisure to work for 
Jesus, and more boldness. I became a member of a little chapel 
close to home soon after, and, as Mr. Moody advised, I went to 
the pastor first, and asked him for work. He found me some- 
thing to do among the aged. One of my old people cannot read, 
and others are so old they cannot see. One poor old body is 
bed-ridden. It is very pleasant work, but I always felt I was not 
actually winning souls for Jesus, they being mostly Christians. 
I have been asking God for some time to open up a way for me, 
and now my prayer has been answered in a way I hardly ex- 
pected. Our dear pastor has planned a young women's meeting, 
which is to be held one night in the week from half-past eight till 
half-past nine ; rather late, but that is the most convenient hour 
for business girls, whom it is principally for. The plan is that 
each worker is to give out not less than one dozen invitations ; 
these are to be given in the streets, as the girls leave their differ- 
ent business houses. There never has been anything of the kind 
done in this part of the vineyard. The invitations are very neat, 
and not like common circulars or bills. Outside there is printed 
an invitation and a warm welcome for Wednesday next. Inside 
there is a small address telling them how pleased we will be to see 
them ; also, that if they are strangers from home in London, they 
will meet many who can sympathize with them, being also far 
from home. We had a large meeting of workers. I do not 
doubt success. It has been made a great subject of prayer, and 
God has promised that where two or three are agreed on one 
subject he will grant their request. Will you pray for us ? 

"< Etc., etc. C W .'" 

In this way the seed sown may yield bountiful harvests year 

by year. Mr. Moody, in his first sermon at Philadelphia, said : 

" Letters come in from all parts saying that the prayer-meetings 

are four or five times larger than ever before ; the prayer-meet- 

12 



266 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

ing connected with one of the largest churches in New York, at 
which before only a few people attended, has, during the last few 
weeks, crowded the lecture-room ; all this shows that the spirit 
of prayer is coming on the nation. God is ready to give us a 
blessing. I never had such large prayer-meetings in any of the 
cities in Great Britain as we had in Brooklyn. Some say this is 
all sensational. If you can get three or four thousand people to 
meet together and pray, not to hear some man, but to meet God, 
and call on God, it shows God is in the movement. This. is no 
sensationalism or false excitement. If we can but stir up the 
people to pray, the blessing is ours. I would rather know how 
to pray like Daniel than to preach like Gabriel." 

It was amazing to note how the subject of religion was handled 
by the secular press, whose readers numbered millions ; and their 
utterances deserve to be gathered and reperused and studied, for 
their corroborative testimony to the importance and thoroughness 
of the movement. They used language like this, which deserves 
the consideration of professed Christians as well as worldly peo- 
ple : " With all this we are quite well aware that there is a large 
class of thin-brained, vacant-minded persons for whom life has 
nothing serious except personal discomfort, and who are most 
flippant over the weightiest problems of existence; and that 
these stand ready upon the slightest pretext to make the whole 
business a jest and turn it into ridicule. But however lightly 
they may treat the matter, however much they may burlesque the 
actors in it, and make of their zeal and devotion a mockery and 
a jest, one thing is certain, that no man or set of men can make 
a religious movement of the importance of this one ridiculous 
unless it be the men themselves who are engaged in it. So long 
as they are sincere and earnest and can forget themselves in the 
greatness of their work, nothing can withstand them, and cer- 
tainly nothing can detract from their dignity or belittle their 
efforts. But the emotions lie close together. High religious 
sentiment is of a brittle edge, and easily crumbles into silly sen- 
timentality. Faith lies very close to superstition ; it is but a step 
from trustfulness to blind credulity. There are well-marked 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 267 

metes and bounds which cannot be disregarded in the presenta- 
tion of religious truths and the expression of religious sentiments 
and emotions. Within these limits the advocate or exhorter is 
invested with a grandeur of personal dignity which belongs to 
the man who is saturated with his belief, and who, in utter .un- 
consciousness of self, is rapt in the contemplation of what he 
conceives to be the absolute and awful truth. These limits 
overstepped for an instant or by a word, and his power is gone. 
Between pathos and bathos the difference is less than of a letter •> 
the step is that ' one ' from the sublime. 

" It should not be forgotten by the leaders in this revival 
movement that religion is by no means all emotional; that it 
rests on reason and common sense, which its ministers and mis- 
sionaries must not affront by lack of logic, or shock by shallow 
illustrations and weak appeals. 

"The attitude and act of prayer are beyond all other things 
in life invested with solemnity and clothed in mystery. It is the 
supreme act of faith ; approached by the penitent with doubts and 
questions and infinite wondering j only slowly apprehended, and 
so immeasurably vast in its meaning to the helpless soul strug- 
gling upward on it, that man at his very best can only throw him- 
self upon it in utter self-distrust and leave the rest to God. The 
questioning men and women, longing to learn the truth and to 
lead true lives, get no light nor comfort from any flippant illus- 
trations of the power of prayer. They excite doubts instead of 
removing them j they confirm skepticism and awaken no convic- 
tion ; they do not attract but repel the sincere seeker after truth. 
The work in hand is of too great moment to be handled without 
the profoundest care and the most thoughtful consideration of 
every word spoken and every act done. 

" It cannot be denied that a ' revival of religion,' as it is called, 
acids largely to the merely moral strength of society and increases 
the number of those who honestly mean to do right. Every 
reader has known within his personal experience more than one 
instance of a bad nature made better, of a degraded character 
elevated, of an unwise life made true and rational, by the acqui- 



268 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 

sition of religious motives. Hypocrisy, humbug, conceit, vanity, 
fanaticism — these are words which fall easily from our tongues ; 
but the fact remains that hundreds and thousands are really in 
earnest. These accessions to the right-doing side of the popula- 
tion cannot be otherwise than of good import. It is unfair to 
weigh ordinary spiritual experience against that of larger natures 
— of Fenelon or of Pascal, of Wesley or of Channing. The real 
question is, Have we here a man who has resolved to walk 
uprightly in this world for the rest of his days? If so, then 
society gains a good man in the place of a bad one, or one who 
might at any moment have become bad ; a good citizen instead 
of a possible felon ; a faithful mechanic or tradesman instead of 
a cheat ; an honest merchant instead of a fraudulent bankrupt > 
a devoted instead of a neglectful parent; a good Samaritan 
instead of a liver for self alone. These surely are acquisitions 
which even the world need not despise. 

" Apart from the more solemn profession of the religious con- 
vert, is his promise that he will be honest and kindly; that he 
will neither lie nor cheat nor steal ; that whatsoever of good his 
hands may find to do, he will do it ; that he will refrain from the 
vices which degrade and impoverish and kill ; that he will no 
longer be selfish and ungenerous, and that his works shall prove 
the vitality of his faith. There has been so much loose talk 
lately about religion and churches and preachers, that we are in 
danger of forgetting that all our lives we have been surrounded 
by thousands of excellent men and women made gentlemen and 
ladies by grace, full-hearted and full-handed helpers of the sick, 
the needy, and the suffering, doers of the work whenever and 
wherever opportunity has offered, lovely in their lives and cred- 
ible because involuntary witnesses of the reality of their faith. 
To the number of these a season of marked religious interest 
unquestionably must make large additions ; for though the weak 
may fall away, though the most vociferous may grow silent and 
the warmest cold, there will always be a remnant of stronger 
natures abiding to the end." 

The chief purpose of Messrs. Moody and Sankey is the con- 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 269 

version of souls to Christ. What sort of men and women they 
expect their converts to become, their preaching and exhortations 
abundantly proclaim. Let us now look in upon them, the first 
Sunday in Philadelphia, Nov. 21st, 1875. 

While the heavens wept over the departure of the evangelists 
from naughty Brooklyn, the driving rain could not dampen the 
enthusiasm of thousands who were anxious to attend the initial 
services of the expected revival. From every part of the city 
the worshippers came, and for almost an hour hurrying streams 
of humanity converged to a focus at the old exhibition building. 
The police arrangements, as indeed all the arrangements for the 
accommodation of visitors and the maintenance of good order, 
were perfect. By eight o'clock the grand auditorium was about 
two-thirds full, while the stage was occupied by over eight hun- 
dred persons, a large proportion of whom were ministers. Among 
the more prominent clergymen present were Rev. Richard New- 
ton, D.D., of the Episcopal Church ■ Rev. R. M. Hatfield, D.D., 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; Rev. W. P. Breed, D.D., 
of the Presbyterian Church ; Rev. J. Wheaton Smith, D.D., of 
the Baptist Church, the committee who have been training a class 
of three hundred for services in the inquiry rooms. Also on the 
stage were 500 singers selected from all the choirs in the city, and 
thoroughly drilled in Mr. Sankey's songs by Prof. Fischer. In 
the middle and close to the front of the platform sat the evange- 
list, Dwight L. Moody, and the " sweet singer," Ira D. Sankey, 
surrounded by the gentlemen who were mainly instrumental in 
persuading the revivalists to come to Philadelphia. Messrs. 
George H. Stuart and John Wanamaker, who have had almost 
all the great work directly under their charge, were seated on the 
right of Rev. Dr. Newton, who presided over the opening ser- 
vices. 

At precisely eight o'clock the doors of the vast auditorium 
were closed, and the hymn, 

" All hail the power of Jesus' name," 

was sung with fine effect by the choir. Dr. Newton then made a 



270" MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

fervent prayer for the success of the movement so well begun, 
and asked for the blessing of the Holy Spirit on all workers in 
the cause. The 24th hymn, 

" Rejoice, and be glad ! 

The Redeemer has come ! 
Go look on His cradle, 
His cross, and His tomb," 

was next given out, and hundreds of voices in the congregation 
soon joined in to swell ths. harmonies of the great choir on the 
stage. Then upon the little platform or pulpit in front ascended 
the leading spirit of all this congregation of worshippers, Mr. 
D wight L. Moody. His appearance created a momentary stir of 
sensation throughout the hall. Mr. Moody is a short and some- 
what stout man, with a full, dark beard, rather small eyes, and an 
active, energetic, but not nervous habit. His manner is alert 
and prompt, but not graceful ; his voice is unmusical, and, indeed, 
harsh ; his enunciation is very clear, but somewhat too rapid, yet 
can be heard and understood in every part of the building. He 
gesticulates but little, and his motions are evidently unstudied. 
His style of speaking is entirely conversational, but, though he 
seldom makes* any attempt at rhetorical display, he possesses and 
uses with marvellous effect a dramatic power which clothes the 
most trite sayings with the thrilling beauty of fervid eloquence. 
But, after all, the great secret of his power over a vast assembly 
seems to lie less in what he says or his manner of saying it than 
in his personal magnetism, which affects those who are too far off 
to hear almost as strongly as those who crowd about his feet. 
Before Mr. Moody spoke the first word he glanced quietly about 
him for a moment, and almost instantly every whispered tone was 
hushed, every breath bated, and throughout the congregation of 
six or eight thousand persons not a sound disturbed the strange 
stillness which seemed to have been produced by some mighty 
strength of will possessed by the very unevangelical-looking gen- 
tleman standing on the platform. 

"Now," said Mr. Moody, after announcing his text, "what is 



MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 27 1 

the use of these special meetings ? I have been asked this ques- 
tion often. Are there not churches enough ? Are there not min- 
isters enough, and services enough, and sermons enough ? Yes, 
if sermons could save sinners, there have been enough preached 
to convert the whole of Christendom. We have only come to 
help you. In time of harvest extra help is always needed, and, 
my friends, the harvest is here now." 

He closed an earnest sermon on work as follows : 
" While at Brooklyn, one teacher worked night and day with 
her class, and one evening told me with heartfelt joy that she had 
twenty-seven young ladies in the inquiry-room. In less than two 
weeks the whole twenty -seven experienced a change of heart. 
Don't think because your children are little or young that they 
can't share the blessings of this revival. Bring them here, and 
we will save them. The power of Almighty God," added Mr. 
Moody, suddenly elevating his voice, "is in this hall this morn- 
ing. Do you doubt it ? " he asked, turning to the clergy upon the 
stage. " No," " No," " No," was answered. " Some time ago," 
continued the speaker, " a lady where we were stopping remained 
away from her Sunday-school, saying that there were only five 
little boys in her class, and one day could make no difference. 
Did you ever stop to think what there may be to save in five 
little boys ? In one little tow-headed boy may sleep the Refor- 
mation. In another may be a Wesley, a Whitefield, a Bunyan. 
Little did Andrew know what he was doing when he brought 
Peter to Christ. May each one of you hunt up some Simon 
Peter and bring him to Christ ; find some persecuting Saul and 
bring him to Christ. One lady in London, by tireless and prayer- 
ful labor, succeeded, by the assistance of her husband, a wealthy 
barrister of the metropolis, in converting one hundred and fifty 
of their friends and acquaintances. In speaking of it with grate- 
ful joy, she said, 'We did not work; we just laid ourselves out 
for Christ/ That's the way to do it. Don't count your strokes ; 
just lay yourselves out. God help you to lay yourselves out for 
work. Go ye all into the vineyard ! Don't wait for the harvest, 
for — hark ! " 



272 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



lied 



At this exclamation a thrill of indescribable anticipation seemed 
to pass through the breathless assembly, and then, after a pause, 
during which only the patter of the rain-drops on the roof could 
be heard, the speaker concluded with : 

" Hark ! the voice of Jesus crying, 
Who will go and work to-day ? " 

The tones of Mr. Moody's voice had hardly ceased before the 
same words were repeated by Mr. Sankey's musical voice in a 
beautiful hymn : 

" Hark ! the voice of Jesus crying, 
Who will go and work to-day? 
Fields are white and harvest waiting, 
Who will hear the sheaves away?" 

In the afternoon the throng was immense. For a considerable 
time before the hour for the commencement of the services the 
hall was crowded, and the number anxious and clamorous to 
obtain admission was greater than that within. Thirteenth, 
Juniper, and Market streets were filled with people, and all the 
doors were guarded by an efficient police force, who kept the 
multitude back. Such a sight has not been witnessed for many 
a day, and such a congregation, largely made up of earnest 
Christian men and women, has never assembled in this city. 
There were, according to estimates made by competent parties, 
fully thirteen thousand persons present, and the calculation does 
not seem to be at all out of the way when it is remembered that 
there are over one thousand chairs in the audience-room, all of 
which were occupied. The order throughout the services was 
unexceptionable, and prior to their commencement there was a 
stillness that is rarely observed. There was neither buzz nor 
hum, no one seemed inclined to even whisper, and while doubt- 
less many were drawn to the place out of curiosity, the larger 
portion, by their demeanor, seemed to have but one object, that 
of promoting the work of the great revivalists. The ladies and 
gentlemen of the choir were promptly in their places ; and punc- 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



273 



tual to time the evangelists, Messrs. Moody and Sankey, made 
their appearance. The latter immediately took his seat at the 
melodeon, while the first-named took position at the stand, and 
never throughout the afternoon did he sit down, but kept his eye 
upon the audience the entire time. The services were opened 
by Mr. George H. Stuart, who gave out a hymn, and after it had 
been sung by the choir, Rev. J. Wheaton Smith, D. D v of the 
Beth-Eden Baptist Church, stepped forward and led in prayer. 
Mr. Sankey then gave out the 11 6th hymn, "Come, thou Fount 
of every blessing." At the conclusion of the singing, Mr. 
Sankey said : " We will now sing, ' Here I raise my Ebenezer.' 
The audience will all join in the singing." The hymn was evi- 
dently popular with the masses, for it was sung with a hearty 
good-will. Mr. Moody then announced that he would read a 
portion of the first chapter of Joshua, which was subsequently 
made the text of his discourse. Mr. Moody spoke about twenty 
minutes. The two points of his remarks, upon which he en- 
larged and elaborated, were moral courage and enthusiasm, both 
of which, he held, were essential elements for success in the 
religious work. The address was stirring, earnest and effective, 
the speaker appearing to be anxious to reach the hearts of his 
hearers, and in this he was eminently successful, as more than 
one individual seemed to be touched by the powerful appeal 
made to take up the cross and enlist under the banner of the 
Saviour of mankind. 

The hymns, " Hear ye the Battle Cry ? " " Forward the Call," 
and " Hold the Fort," were sung by Mr. Sankey, the choir join- 
ing in the chorus. No such singing has been heard in any of the 
churches, and the effect produced was all that the revivalists 
could have wished. 

The revival movement gives promise of complete success. It 
is now the talk of all classes. On 'Change, in business circles, 
in social gatherings, on the street-cars and the trains, and in the 
greeting of friends in the street, the names of Moody and Sankey 
are on every tongue. The evangelists and their work are liter- 
ally the town talk. " Have you been to hear Moody?" " San- 



274 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

key's singing is better than a sermon;" "Did you hear the 
' Ninety and Nine ? ' " " Wasn't that hymn, ' Nothing but Leaves,' 
impressive?" "Its Moody's earnestness that tells;" "What a 
team they are ! " — these are a few of the thousand-and-one ex- 
pressions you hear every day. There are plenty of sharp criti- 
cisms on the methods of the revivalists, and doubts enough are 
expressed as to the permanency of their work ; but no one 
denies that they possess real power, unique in kind and degree, 
and wonderfully effective iri awakening a new interest in the old 
doctrines of religion. A common complaint among the thought- 
ful people is that Mr. Moody's sermons have no direct applica- 
tion to the relations and duties of everyday life — that they do 
not aim to make men less selfish and cold-hearted and more 
charitable, genial, generous, and kind — that their sole purpose 
is to induce people to accept a certain form of faith, and to 
lead devoutly religious .rather' than moral lives. It should be 
remembered by those who make this criticism, that the great 
preacher is a firm believer in the immediate second coming of 
Christ. He is looking for the end of the world and the appear- 
ance of the Saviour every day and hour. No wonder, then, that 
he does not think it worth while to talk about business and social 
morality. He is perfectly consistent. Why should he try to tell 
people how to live, when the important thing is to prepare them 
for death and the last judgment ? Why trouble himself about the 
affairs of the household, the street, and the mart, when he ex- 
pects every moment to see the world rolled up like a scroll ? 

With few exceptions the clergy of the city are taking a hearty 
interest in the revival. Probably the Methodists are more active 
in assisting it than the other sects ; but Presbyterians, Episco- 
palians, Baptists, Lutherans, and, in short, ministers of all the 
Protestant denominations, attend the meetings in the Depot 
Church, and participate in the morning assemblies for prayer.. 
The general feeling among the clergy is one of gratified disap- 
pointment at the character of Moody and Sankey's effort. They 
had expected to hear something much more sensational — they 
feared, indeed, that it would be objectionably sensational — and 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 275 

they are delighted to find that Mr. Moody preaches only the 
soundest doctrine, and makes use of none of the theatrical 
devices of oratory employed by many professional revivalists. 
His earnest, direct, and humble appeals, his apt and familiar illus- 
trations, and his way of preaching on a level with the hearts and 
heads of his hearers, is like a new revelation of the possibilities 
of pulpit oratory to many clergymen, whose well-turned periods 
and fine theological points have proved powerless to stimulate 
the faith of their congregations. 

A Presbyterian minister, speaking to a friend after the meeting 
was over last night, said : " Moody's verbs don't always agree 
with his nouns, but I imagine that Peter the fisherman, didn't talk 
very good grammar either. Moody's language, if not always 
elegant, never fails to convey the exact idea that he wants it to. 
Nobody can get a wrong or a doubtful meaning from it." 

" I have been trying to get at the secret of his power," said a 
Baptist, "and I think it lies, first, in his own profound convic- 
tion, and second, in his constant repetition of the same idea, with 
just variation enough to keep it monotonous. By tireless re- 
iteration he wears the truth of the Gospel into the stoniest heart. 
Faith in Christ is his simple and never-ending theme. Most 
ministers scatter too much. They seek to interest people's heads 
by a variety of topics. Mr. Moody hammers away at the heart 
with sublime persistence." 

Just after the prayer-meeting this morning a Methodist min- 
ister, talking to a knot of brother clergymen, praised the revi- 
valists warmly. " I declare it gives me new courage," he said, 
" to see people flocking to hear the Gospel in crowds larger than 
went to Barnum's Hippodrome last summer. Since the war it 
has often seemed to me that faith was dying out in the hearts of 
men. Any kind of a show or parade would draw a crowd, while 
we talked about the soul's salvation and eternal life to half-filled 
churches. I believe we are going to see a great awakening in 
this country. Moody and Sankey are the Lord's instruments to 
begin the work. We have had hundreds of better preachers 
than Mr. Moody, but they made no impression on the masses. 



276 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Why do thousands rush to hear him ? Because the Spirit of God 
is moving the hearts of men, and he has been chosen to lead a 
great movement for the salvation of souls." 

It would seem that the hold obtained by the evangelists on 
the unconverted masses is greater in Philadelphia than in Brook- 
lyn. The attendance from this class is larger, and the impres- 
sion produced in those who attend seems deep and influential. 
Mr„ Moody pronounced the gatherings of the second Sunday 
more successful, in view of the attendance of the unconverted 
so early in the series of meetings, than at any other place in this 
country or in England. The week following showed an increase 
rather than a diminution of interest, and the third w^ek opens 
more auspiciously than either which it follows. 

The meetings of Sunday last were remarkably effective. The 
day was cold and wet; just such a day as would ordinarily give 
smallest attendance at religious meetings ; such a day as would 
suggest to many a . faint-hearted country superintendent the 
thought that it was about time to close the Sunday-school for the 
winter. But at eight o'clock on that dreary morning the Depot 
Church showed a gathering of some six thousand Christian work- 
ers ; enough it would seem to cheer the heart of any doubting 
Elijah as to the faith and zeal of very many amid all the coldness 
and unbelief in this great city. When, at the close of his ap- 
peal to these workers to be " a peculiar people, zealous of good 
works," in their service in God's vineyard, Mr. Moody asked 
those who during the coming week would endeavor to lead at 
least one soul to the Saviour to rise to their feet, nearly one-half 
of all present rose in indication of this purpose. 

At the Sunday-afternoon meeting for women, at least ten 
thousand were present. As nearly five thousand tickets of ad- 
mission had been given to women who expressed a desire to find 
salvation, while many other tickets were distributed without ques- 
tion, Mr. Moody thought there were more than seven thousand 
unconverted persons in the audience ; certainly a hopeful gather- 
ing at such a time and place. The appeal of the preacher was 
most earnest. As he told of the love of the Saviour for the lost, 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. '277 

and of the full salvation offered freely to all, all hearts seemed 
to throb as one in gratitude to such a Saviour for such a salva- 
tion. When he asked those who desired an interest in this 
salvation to rise and stand during his prayer, hundreds rose to 
their feet, and afterward repaired to the inquiry-rooms for per- 
sonal converse and counsel. It can hardly be doubted that that 
evening hour was the birth-hour of many precious souls, then 
brought by God's Spirit into the life of Christian love and trust. 
At the evening meeting, which was for men, while the attendance 
was not quite as large as in the afternoon, there was great se- 
riousness, and many rose for prayers and remained at the inquiry- 
meeting. 

For one whole week Mr. Moody labored, not for the salvation 
of sinners, but for the regeneration of professed Christians. At 
every service hundreds of long-acknowledged church members 
listened with bowed heads and tearful eyes to the fervent exhorta- 
tions of the evangelist, who, casting aside all preconceived notions 
of church work, and preaching only love to God and devotion to 
the Saviour, brought to their awakening souls a vision of the bless- 
ings of true holiness more beautiful than even in their most un- 
selfish moods they had ever before conceived. He did not 
preach, " Repent in order to avoid the wrath of an angry God," 
and thus wring an ephemeral obeisance from weak knees but 
cold hearts ; he preached Christ crucified ; drew for his hearers 
convincing illustrations of the perfect love of the Father, and 
urged them, with tears in his eyes, not to kneel from a sense of 
duty, but to cast themselves at the feet of the Saviour, and, with 
a heart overflowing with love, there seek to learn how to win 
others to the straight and narrow, but pleasant path of joy and 
peace. 

Rev. Dr. Breed said there was a wonderful power in self-con- 
secration ; the ungodly man had at all times a traitor in the cita- 
del of his wickedness — a conscience which would compel him to 
yield when assaulted by a truly consecrated heart. He once 
heard of a young man who had been notoriously bad, but had 
suddenly been converted, and was moved by the Spirit to 



278 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



go and pray with every one in the village. He started, and 
knocking at every door, was, in spite of his past reputation, ad- 
mitted and permitted to pray. The man truly consecrated to 
God could always have the entree into any house or by the Holy 
Spirit into every heart. 

Mr. Sankey said : "Will you please turn to the 90th hymn. In 
that we will find a verse which should give us great comfort if we 
do what that verse says. But before we begin, I wish to bear 
testimony to the fact that we can do no good without a broken 
and a contrite heart. Shortly after the Chicago fire, seven men, 
finding that their labors were apparently fruitless, determined to 
seek counsel of God, and assembled one afternoon in a gentle- 
man's office, and there humbled themselves before their Maker. 
I saw these men lying on their faces on the floor, praying to be 
emptied of self and filled with the Holy Spirit. These seven 
men have since been greatly blessed and greatly honored by God 
in their labors. Two are in the West, one in Europe, and two in 
this city. Now let us sing." 

Mr. Moody, at the conclusion of the. singing, said : " Send 
thanksgiving, but praise to God is better. What we want to do 
to-night is to praise God for all his mercies, for all that we enjoy, 
and for all the glorious promises of an immortality. There is a 
great deal said at our meetings about prayer, but nothing about 
praise. In the Bible there are more passages referring to praise 
than to prayer. We want Christ, and if we are heard to praise 
him, then will we be able to get to him. What we want to-day is 
a praising Church. We can be praising God every day, even when 
in sorrow. If we go through the world all the time with a long 
face, we will drive men away from Christ. There are so many 
people always borrowing trouble and looking on the dark side of 
the picture instead of praising God, that they are only in the way 
of men coming to Jesus. A man once severely cut his hand, and 
said, 'Praise God,' and," said Mr. Moody, "I thought that it was 
a strange thing to praise God for. On asking the man why he 
praised God, he said he did it because his hand was not cut off. 
You can see, then, that in the midst of affliction one can praise 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



279 



the Lord because it might have been worse. What we want is 
more sunny Christian men, who always have happy countenances ; 
they go far toward making religion attractive and drawing sinners 
to a knowledge of their condition and the necessity of seeking 
the Lord. If men praise God and are happy in the Church, the 
fire will be caught by others and spread until the whole Church 
becomes alive, and all are happy in the knowledge that Jesus is 
their Master. If there are any who should be happy, it is those 
who are sincere Christians, those who have come to Christ. The 
first thing a young convert always does is to pray, and when, in 
praising God, he sings, 

" ' O happy day ! ' 

how happy he is ! If the ten thousand persons present could be 
induced to take Christ as their only friend and sing praises to 
him, there would be such a shout as to almost raise the roof. 
We want to see the time when the streets are filled with people 
filling the air with songs of praise to Zion. When that time comes 
the people will be happy, because they have found Christ. When 
we stray away from God, we don't want to pray ; but when we 
return to God, then we want to sing his praises. What we want 
to-day is a Church of workers, and when we have that we will 
have a praising Church. When a man gets out of himself, be- 
comes unselfish, and commences to work for others, he becomes 
a happy man, because he is doing God's service. If you want to 
praise God, go and do some work, lift up somebody, relieve the 
sick and comfort the heart-broken. By so doing it will be the 
best praise that we can give to God." The speaker said that 
some years ago he met a man who told him that he was going to 
take his family of five children to church with a smile. The man 
said to him, whenever he passed a house on a certain street he 
always looked at the windows where he saw children, and he 
always smiled upon them. Said the speaker: "Kindness to 
children is never forgotten ; it is the way to reach their hearts and 
gain their affection." The children became so fond of seeing 
the man that they watched for him, and finally they said he was 



280 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

so good and kind, that he must be a minister. They resolved 
one Sunday after he passed to follow him, and they did so ; when 
they found that he entered a church, they also went in, and after 
service returned home and said that they heard the best sermon 
of their lives. They went again, and finally joined the church. 
The man said that he got them in with a smile. A crabbed and 
cross Christian never accomplishes any good ; they are stumbling- 
blocks in the way of others, and prevent the building up of the 
Christian Church. Oh that we may have live churches ! What 
we want to do is to get rid of these dead churches, with their 
cold forms and ceremonies, and have them filled with live, happy 
people. The speaker continued in this strain for some time, and 
urged his hearers to come to Christ and be happy. When they 
did so they would continually praise Him for His goodness. 

Mr. Moody then gave out the 25th hymn, which was sung by 
the choir and the entire congregation, led by Mr. Sankey. The 
people seemed to be deeply impressed with it, and such whole- 
souled singing by more than eleven thousand persons has never 
been heard before in this city. It is in these words : 

We praise Thee, O God ! for the Son of Thy love, 
For Jesus who died and is now gone above. 

Chorus— Hallelujah ! Thine the glory, Hallelujah ! Amen. 
Hallelujah ! Thine the glory, revive us again. 

We praise Thee, O God ! for Thy spirit of light, 

Who has shown us our Saviour and scattered our night. 

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, 
Who has borne all our sins and cleansed every stain. 

All glory and praise to the God of all grace, 

Who has bought us, and sought us, and guided our ways. 

Revive us again ; fill each heart with Thy love ; 
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. 

Mr. Sankey next rose from his cabinet organ, behind which he 
had remained seated during the service, and said: "How many 
prodigal sons may be restored to their homes to-day ! The re- 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 28 1 

currence of Thanksgiving recalls to my mind a story told me by 
a very dear friend in Europe of a prodigal son who was saved by 
love. A wayward boy who could not be persuaded to do good, 
whose steps were only evil continually, was finally, at the request 
of his brothers, sent into the street. He went away, but on 
Thanksgiving day poor John, homesick and heartsick, returned. 
His father saw the poor wanderer at the door, and received him 
back to his arms. Then his brothers again demanded that the 
black sheep should again be cast out, but the father answered, 
'No, no, my son John, I'll not cast thee out j come, gather around 
our board to-day.' This overwhelming love was too much. The 
long-lost prodigal wept, the family knelt with him and prayed for 
him, and to-day that boy is one of the hardest workers for Christ 
to be found in all Europe. A father's love saved him ! Let us 
remember that. Our friends may cast us off, but our Heavenly 
Father will receive us. if we only knock at the door. I will now 
sing you the hymn 'Ninety and Nine.'" Mr. Sankey here took 
his seat, and in a sweet voice sang with touching expression the 
words : 

" There were ninety and nine that safely lay 

In the shelter of the fold ; 
But one was out on the hills away, 

Far off from the gates of gold. 
Away on the mountains wild and bare, 

Away from the tender Shepherd's care ; 
Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine, 

Are they not enough for Thee ? 
But the Shepherd made answer, 'Tis of mine 

Has wandered far away from me ; 
And although the road be rough and steep, 

I go to the desert to find my sheep." 

Never was our National Thanksgiving more perfectly symbol- 
ized than in the scene which yesterday morning gladdened the 
eyes of the Evangelists as they entered the old Exhibition build- 
ing at Thirteenth and Market streets to begin their early prayer- 
meeting. The seemingly limitless auditorium, decorated as it is 



282 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

in our national colors, with wide, beautiful expanses of pure white 
between the relieving tints, was almost filled with eager worship- 
pers, whose very glances beamed with praise and thanksgiving, 
while, with many a benison and on silvery pinions, the light of 
opening day, descending earthward, poured in a flood of welcome 
through the glass-covered roof and rested on the picture lil:e a' 
dove of peace. 

Large as the building is and ample as the accommodations are, 
last evening every seat was occupied, and around the walls men 
were standing. Such a gathering of males in this city has never 
before been seen, and it is a question whether in this country for 
such a purpose there has ever been such an assemblage. The 
order was perfect, not the slightest confusion or noise was obser- 
vable, but ail seemed deeply oppressed with the solemnity of the 
occasion. The stillness was remarkable, and throughout the 
entire evening a whisper, if made, might 'have been heard. 
While doubtless many were drawn to the place by curiosity, it 
was also true that many more were there with an honest purpose 
and with honest convictions. It has happened more than once 
that men who had no idea of conversion have been brought under 
the influence of the great revivalists, and such most likely was 
the case last night, when some two hundred sturdy men fearlessly 
stood up in that mighty assemblage and acknowledged themselves 
sinners, and as being desirous of leading better lives. The occasion 
was one long to be remembered, and could not but make a deep 
and lasting impression upon very many who stood back. The 
preaching of Mr. Moody is irresistible in its effects ; so plainly is 
the teaching of the Saviour made, and so convincing is his argu- 
ment in behalf of the religion of Christ and the great necessity 
of turning away from the paths of vice, that before a person is 
aware of it, he is unconsciously forced to make a public confes- 
sion of his sinfulness and his desire to lead the life of a Christian. 
Greater interest could not have been manifested than was last 
evening, and a more respectful hearing could not have been 
accorded to any preacher. 

"Go," said he ; '-go to some hovel where a drunkard reels to 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 283 

every day. See the children run away and hide .in terror when 
the besotted father staggers up the hill ; see the pale, haggard- 
faced wife tremble ; she bears many a scar made by that strong 
right arm on that defenceless body. Such a man may be here to- 
day. He may repent at last and secure the Lord Jesus. Then, 
in a little while, see what a change ! The little children will 
climb on his knee and clasp their loving arms about his neck ; 
the wife will wear a happy smile, and instead of the drunken 
song, you will hear: 

" ' There is a fountain filled with blood.' 

or perhaps he will remember a hymn his sainted mother taught 
him, and on the evening air will come the words : 

" ' Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee.' 

"That is what I call regeneration. May the spirit of prayer 
come on this assembly this afternoon. You may see many king- 
doms, but except you be born again you will never see the King- 
dom of God. You may travel through your own country, and in 
California stand in awe before the great trees at which so many 
have wondered, but except you be born again you can never see 
the tree of life which stands in the paradise of God. You may 
stand on the banks of many mighty rivers, but except you be 
born again you never can see the river that bursts from the 
Throne of God and runs through His Kingdom. You may look 
with pleasure upon the jewelled crowns of the earth, but unless 
you be born again yoif cannot see the Crown of Life. You may 
meet with princes in this world, but except you be born again 
you cannot meet the Prince of Peace. A few years ago I met 
with a man who seemed happy and yet very, very lonesome. 
'Have you no children?' I asked. 'Yes,' was the reply, 'I 
have one — in heaven.' He then showed me the picture of a 
beautiful child, about seven years of age, and said, ' I am glad 
she is in heaven, for while she lived I worshipped her, and when 
she was taken from me I almost cursed my Maker, for I was a 



284 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

cursing man. And when I was still in this terrible mood I 
threw myself on the bed and at last I slept, and dreamed, I sup- 
pose, though it may have been a vision. I thought I was travel- 
ing along a desert waste, and at length came to a dark, fathomless 
river. I thought I heard the voice of my darling calling, 
" Father, come over ; its beautiful over here." Then I saw my 
precious one amid a choir of heavenly beings, and she kept on 
beckoning to me until I attempted to cross, but found I could 
not ford the stream. While I was looking for some way to get 
over, I heard a voice from heaven saying, " I am the Way, the 
Truth, and the Life." I awoke a changed man, and now only 
live to meet her in that heavenly sphere where death can never 
again come. If my little one had lived I might have led her 
astray, but she is safe now, and I believe that a kind Father will 
let me follow her.' Oh ! how many of you," said Mr. Moody in 
conclusion, " have little ones beckoning to you from the other 
side of the river of death ? Have you children, husbands, wives, 
brothers, sisters, godly fathers, or sainted mothers in the land to 
come ? Only go to God, be born again, and meet them in the 
Kingdom of God." At the conclusion of the sermon, Mr. Moody 
called upon those who desired to be prayed for to stand up, and 
fully two thousand rose to their feet, and stood with bowed heads 
and glistening eyes while the leader offered up a fervent suppli- 
cation in their behalf. 

Charles M. Morton, of Plymouth Bethel, Brooklyn, then made 
a brief address, relating an incident of the recent meetings in 
Brooklyn, the reclamation of a man whose home had been broken 
up by intemperance. When the man had been converted he 
came to the speaker one day and said, " I have got back my 
home, my friends, my wife and my children, but something that 
my little girl said last night made me cry. She ran up to me, 
and, throwing her arms around me, said, ' Papa, you don't stag- 
ger any more now.' " Now it is just so with Christians when 
they get the Word of God in the heart ; they don't stagger any 
more. 

Hon. S. Farwell, of Chicago, spoke of some special meetings 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 285 

now being held in Central Illinois, and said the workers in his 
State were listening for the key-note from the City of Brotherly 
Love, and were anxious for an interest in their prayers at one of 
the meetings in Mason, Illinois. The first convert was the leader 
of a company of actors who had been a few evenings before per- 
forming in the same hall in which the meeting was held. He 
was an intelligent, highly educated man, and is now preaching 
the Gospel. He says : " I have served the devil for thirty years. 
I am fifty-one years old now. All my time and talents shall 
be upon the Lord," and one of the first things he told the 
people after his conversion was this : " I have been behind 
the scenes. You don't know all that goes on there. Take my 
advice, you church members who have been in the habit of going 
to theatres, and don't go there again." That was pretty good 
preaching for a first sermon. He now goes about the street read- 
ing the New Testament, as he used to read Shakespeare, and he 
tells Brother Dean that every day he finds new texts that 'he 
never knew were in the Bible at all. That might be the case 
with all of us, for the Spirit will bring all things to your remem- 
brance whatsoever I have said unto you. 

There was one point which ought to be mentioned in this con- 
nection. It was a matter of experience with him that very often 
what prevents persons who are anxious from finding peace is 
some difficulty in their business. There is some little thing 
which they are not prepared to give up. It was so with a young 
man with whom he was speaking last night. He found that he 
was engaged in the liquor business, and he told the young man 
that unless he was prepared to give that up he would not have 
peace. 

Mr. Moody spoke on the prayers of Jesus, and said He was 
the example, for He was praying all the night before He chose 
the twelve Apostles ; and on every occasion where there was a 
special communication to Him from His Father in heaven, it came 
in answer to prayers. What we need is more of the praying 
spirit, that all who come to these meetings maybe reached by the 
Spirit of God. Even those who are unable to get into the meet- 



286 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

ings are sometimes in that way led to a spirit of reflection. A 
man came to one of the services and found the door closed, and 
the words of Scripture rushed upon his mind, "And the door 
was shut." He said, "What if the door of Heaven should be 
shut ? " and was led to serious consideration, which resulted in 
his conversion. A lady in Brooklyn had been praying that her 
son might attend the meetings. She had tried to persuade him, 
but he had refused. On the last of the services there, the young 
man thought he would go to the Tabernacle for the afternoon 
meeting. He found the gates locked, the building being full. 
He went into the overflow meeting, and heard Mr. Needham. 
That afternoon he was converted, and his mother's prayers were 
answered. There is nothing for which we may not pray. Jesus 
prayed at the grave of Lazarus ; and we may bring our dead sons 
and daughters to Christ that He may give them spiritual life. 

Rev. Dr. Newton said he wanted to relate an incident which 
had been revived in his memory by the observations of Mr. 
Moody on prayer. Forty years ago, said he, I was a student 
in a theological college in New York, and was brought into inti- 
macy with a graduate of West Point Military Academy, whose 
brother was a fellow-student of mine. The officer was a strictly 
moral man of sterling integrity, but not a Christian. His 
brother one day spoke to him, and asked if he would not be- 
come a Christian. His reply was : " What more do you want 
me to be than I am now ? " and his manner was such that the 
brother said no more, but determined to pray for his conversion 
instead of arguing with him. The next winter the officer was 
ordered out West for frontier service, and his wife, who was a 
lady of high moral character and great attainments, was, in con- 
sequence, temporarily separated from him, and went to live at 
Providence, Rhode Island. While she was there a great work of 
grace was progressing in the parish. She was among those who 
were brought to the feet of Jesus ; and after she was converted, 
the minister, at whose house she was staying, asked if she would 
not join the church. She said, "I can't until I have written to 
my husband. I have never taken a step that we could not take 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



287 



together since we were married. I can't put a barrier between 
him and myself until I have written to him and told him of the 
change in my life." She immediately wrote ; but before her 
letter reached him out on the frontier, he had written to her, and 
their letters crossed. He said that for several days he had a 
strange feeling, such as he had never experienced before. He felt 
that he was unworthy and a sinner, and that he needed pardon. 
He had no Bible in his tent, and borrowed one from a comrade \ 
then he read about the way of salvation, and found light. He 
said in his letter that he had become a Christian ; so when her 
letter reached him, the wife was in possession of the glad news 
that both were following Jesus. Who can tell the joy there was 
'in that family ? Although this occurred many years ago, and the 
dear fellow to whom I refer is now in heaven, the impression it 
made upon me will never be effaced, and I tell it to-day because 
it may lead others to pray for the conversion of those friends who 
do not now feel their need of Christ. 

After silent prayer for a few moments, during which it seemed 
that every Christian heart was lifted to God in earnest supplica- 
tion — for the most solemn stillness prevailed through the house — 
the meeting closed with the Doxology and benediction. 

MEETING FOR DRUNKARDS. 

One of the most interesting meetings yet held by the evangel- 
ists in this city was that set apart especially for the benefit of 
drunkards who had been unable to conquer the demon of alco- 
holic stimulus. The congregation was much larger than on the 
preceding day, and, as would naturally be expected, very differ- 
ent in many other respects. Several hundreds of Christian 
workers, who have been regularly attending all the meetings, 
remained away in order to leave as much room as possible to 
those who were directly affected by the curse of intemperance. 
A glance over the audience showed a large number of temperance 
advocates and missionaries, several clergymen, and a few regular 
Christian workers. Almost all the other faces were new. There 
were old fat-hers whose white hairs had almost been brought in 



288 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

sorrow to the grave by the wayward steps of loved and almost 
lost sons ; aged mothers, whose doubly refined features had been 
pinched by suffering, and once rosy, smiling lips blanched to 
whiteness by long-continued effort to choke back the sobs which 
will well up from hearts wrung by the anguish of seeing dear 
ones sinking into ruin ; there were pale-faced, loving-eyed sisters, 
whose young lives had been nothing but woe instead of innocent, 
hopeful joy, and whose bright smiles had long given place to 
sighs over the downward course of some willful brother. Here 
and there could be seen the bloated faces of blear-eyed drunk- 
ards, who glanced wildly around as though the strangeness of the 
situation was so overpowering that it required a great effort of 
will to remain, and not a few were accompanied by mothers, 
wives, sisters, or, perchance, sweethearts, who, having exhausted 
worldly means, had determined to lay their burden before the 
Lord. The great majority of all those gathered in the Depot- 
Tabernacle yesterday afternoon were as sad-faced and tearful- 
eyed a collection of humanity as it would be possible to assemble 
in one place. Those who had not directly suffered by intem- 
perance grew at once into sympathy with the hundreds about 
them, whose heavy sighs told the stories of unutterable anguish, 
and this influence increased until a cloud of terrible depression 
seemed to hang over the entire congregation. Every class of 
society was represented in this throng united so closely by such 
painful bonds. Close to the half-starved, long-abused, yet faith- 
ful wife of some besotted brute was seated the child of fortune 
and culture — child no more, but an old, old woman, whose only 
son, still in his youth, had fallen almost to the lowest depths of 
degradation. Near her was a man, every lineament of whose 
features was some index of nobility of soul and rare talents, but 
whose threadbare coat and sunken cheeks betrayed to all gazes 
the lifelong victim of an unconquerable appetite. Just behind 
this group was a young girl, whose face, sweet as an angel's, was 
already furrowed by grief. Beside her was a father, whom she 
seemed to worship, and this father, broken down in health and 
almost ruined in mind by the excessive use of liquor, seemed at 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 289 

last to have resigned himself to hopeless ruin. He gazed about 
in a half-sleepy, half-childish way, and several times attempted to 
get up and leave his seat, but the hand of the child-woman held 
his very tightly, and each time he would conquer his restlessness 
and sit down. By far the largest proportion of the congregation 
were women, almost all of whom had evidently clutching at their 
hearts the agonizing image of some past or present experience 
with woe in its most terrible form. As the exercises proceeded 
it was interesting to note the change which gradually came over 
the scene. As Mr. Moody declared over and over again that the 
God who had once cast out devils could do it now, and would do 
it if only asked, and as fervent supplications for this Divine inter- 
position were made, the cloud seemed to rise from all hearts, the 
noonday sun poured in upon the picture like blessed rays of 
hope ; eyes long dimmed by tears beamed with a new light ; lips 
so long tightly pressed by anguish smiled with a new-found joy, 
and dissipated faces lost their reckless look and became resolute 
in the strength of noble determination. It is probable that more 
than one slave was freed, and more than one heart made happy. 

Rev. Dr. Newton read the requests for prayer. He said that 
as the day was set apart particularly for prayers for the intem- 
perate only, only those which related to persons held by the 
demon of drink would be read. Among the requests were twenty 
for prayers for intemperate husbands ; ten for drunken fathers ; 
twenty-five from sisters for dissipated brothers ; ten from widows 
for intemperate sons ; one for a young man struggling to over- 
come the demon of drink ; one from a sister for three brothers, 
one of them a hard drinker; one from a mother in Scottsville 
for an intemperate son ; from a friend for a young man in New- 
castle, England ; from a friend for a young man who earnestly 
desires to reform ; from a sister (long identified with Methodist 
missions) for an intemperate brother ; from a Christian for an 
intemperate brother-in-law in Richmond, Va. ; from a mother, 
whose only son was rapidly hastening to ruin \ from a wife whose 
husband has almost beggared his family, and from friends for 
the Woman's Temperance Society of Plymouth Church. There 
13 



290 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

were forty requests for prayers for tavern-keepers' souls, that they 
might be turned from the road in which they were leading so 
many of their fellows ; two requests for intemperate and ungodly 
men ; one against the sale of liquor on the Centennial Grounds ; 
one from a wife for a husband; one from a father whose son, 
once a professor of religion, was now hurrying on to destruction ; 
one from a mother who desired prayers for a drunken husband 
and son ; one from a Christian lady whose intemperate husband 
had come to believe that not even God could save him from him- 
self; another from a sister for a dissipated brother ; another from 
a mother for a son who is addicted to the use of intoxicating 
drinks ; a doctor in Massachusetts desired prayers for himself — 
he had long been striving in vain to overcome the habit, and now 
asked for higher aid. Prayers were also requested for a brother 
who was once a professed Christian, but who now made the hearts 
of his friends heavy by yielding to temptation ; a mother re- 
quested prayers for four children, one of whom was addicted to 
the use of wine. Prayers were asked for God's blessing on the 
Woman's Temperance Society and their " Home for Inebriate 
Women ; " also, for the " Franklin Reformatory Home." A wife 
and daughter requested prayer for a father in the liquor business. 
Prayers were requested for four intemperate men, three of whom 
were the sons of three deceased elders in one Presbyterian 
church, and for three intemperate brothers, the sons of a minis- 
ter. 

Rev. Dr. J. Wheaton Smith also offered a fervent prayer for 
the salvation of those who were unable to take even the first step 
towards saving themselves. He asked for comfort for aged 
hearts, for wives and daughters and sisters, so that they could 
feel to-day the joy of thanksgiving, and asked special blessing on 
those who were engaged in the unhallowed traffic, that they should 
be taught that all happiness on earth or in heaven would be lost 
if they should continue in their present course. 

The congregation then rose, and with heartfelt earnestness 
translated into the harmonies of sound the words of the 3d 
hymn : 



MOODY AND SA.NKEY IN AMERICA. 2QI 

" I need Thee every hour, 
Most gracious Lord ; 
No tender voice like Thine 
Can peace afford." 

Mr. Sankey stopped the singing at the third verse and said : 
" Now we should like to hear every one in the house who believe 
that they do need the Lord join in that chorus : " 

" I need Thee, oh ! I need Thee, 
Every hour I need Thee ; 
Oh ! bless me now, my Saviour, 
I come to Thee." 

Thus adjured, every voice seemed to combine with every other 
to fill the grand auditorium with the musical reverberations of the 
beautiful supplication, and the waves of harmony rolled mountain 
high through the seemingly limitless structure. 

The secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association, Mr. 
Cree, spoke of the case of a drunkard who had come into his 
office and asked special prayers for strength to resist temptation. 

Another case was mentioned of a poor man who came into the 
inquiry-room with a heart almost breaking, and said he wanted 
the people to pray for him, but could not write a line, and was 
consequently unable to send in a request without help. It was 
also requested that prayer be offered for an unworthy son, who 
had for years resisted every effort to bring him into the right way, 
and also for his companion, with whom he had become united 
within a few weeks. Rev. Dr. Hatfield, in referring to the course 
of intemperance, said there was, humanly speaking, no hope for 
a drunkard. Only in rare instances could the victim of alcoholic 
stimulants be saved. But nothing was too hard for God to ac- 
complish, and he wanted his hearers to try and have faith in what 
seemed an utter impossibility. At one time the speaker could 
not force himself to have full faith, but a number of instances 
which had since been brought to his attention, had proved to 
him how weak had been his confidence in God. One of these 
instances was the case of a man who was so completely ruined 



292 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

by drink that when at last he showed some sign of repentance 
the speaker thought he must have some evil design. But the 
man was prayed for again and again, and these prayers were an- 
swered, for he has been a sober, industrious, respectable citizen for 
the last eighteen years. " Father " Martin next offered a prayer 
for the salvation of drunkards. Mr. Moody said he noticed an 
aged man the evening before urging a young man to go into the 
inquiry-room. Afterward, when he went into the room, he met 
that father and the youth together and prayed with them. The 
old man, with tears in his eyes, then said: "Mr. Moody, I live 
twenty miles out in the country, and came all the way here to- 
night to thank you ; for this afternoon I received a letter from my 
son, who has been attending these meetings, and is now con- 
verted." " Is this young man also your son ? " asked the speaker. 
" No," was the unexpected reply; "he is a stranger to me." 
" This," continued Mr. Moody, " was the most beautiful part of 
it. The old man had come to thank us for assisting in his son's 
conversion, and had seized the opportunity to urge some other 
man's son to seek the Lord. Now we ought to lift our eyes above 
all human belief, and remember that Christ has the power to help 
every one who asks for his divine aid. But some say, ' It has 
become a disease with me; I can't help myself; my soul don't 
need a physician ; it is my body that is sick.' But don't you 
suppose Christ can heal the body? He has power over disease. 
The Great Physician never fails. Some mothers say, ' My son is 
dead to everything that is pure ; dead to everything that's holy.' 
You remember the child that was dead and Christ raised it up 
when asked to do it ? You will find him able to raise up any 
child of the flesh, whether dead or not. Christ has power over 
devils, over disease, and over death. In London I saw a great 
many incurable hospitals. They did not need anything of the 
kind when Christ was on earth. No case was incurable then. 
Now let us pray that he will cure this disease of drunkenness. 

" Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for such a Saviour as 
Thou hast sent, and now we come to-day to ask that Thou wilt 
rebuke the devils who have taken possession of fathers, and 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 293 

brothers, and sons, and cast them out ; make bare Thine arm to 
save these drunkards ; bless these strangers who have come to 
us to-day. They are strangers to us, but not strangers to Thee ; 
Heavenly Father, help them, raise them, so that soon a band of 
men who are now the slaves of strong drink may be working for 
His glory. While the infidels are mocking and scoffing and saying, 
' God cannot save drunkards,' O God ! make bare Thine arm and 
show them Thy strength ; show them that God can save the 
lowest drunkards, and it will be to Thy great glory. Amen." 
The 56th hymn was then sung as follows : 

" The great Physician now is near, 
The sympathizing Jesus ; 
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer, 
Oh ! hear the voice of Jesus. 

Chorus — Sweetest note in seraph song, 

Sweetest name on mortal tongue, 
Sweetest carol ever sung, 
Jesus, blessed Jesus !" 

Rev. Dr. Breed arose and said he had long felt the strongest 
sympathy for those who were suffering from that particular evil, 
and he knew there was not a minister living who did not feel in 
the same way. In all such cases the man was still the same. It 
was only the appetite which was unconquerable. All had heard 
of the member of Congress, who, when asked to sign the pledge, 
said, " Sign it, yes ; and then I would cut off my right hand if 
that would compel me to keep it." Don't think there was no 
hope. A lady of this city, who once had a drunken father, many 
and many a time had gone out to look for him at night, and, find- 
ing him in some saloon, would stand in the cold and snow until 
he came out. The touch of her hand would turn him, and he 
would follow her staggering to their home. One evening, while 
the keen winds of winter swept down every street, and a freezing 
sleet covered everything with a coat of ice, she attempted in the 
same way to lead him home, but he staggered and fell on the 
pavement. She bent over him, trying to revive him, and when he 



294 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

returned to consciousness her hair was frozen to his lips. She 
succeeded in getting him home alive, and in less than one month 
afterwards he completely reformed. A converted rum-seller in 
the audience then arose and said he was once a dealer in the 
accursed stuff, but now thanked God that he would never again 
touch the hell-distilled fluid or raise it to the lips of a brother. Rev. 
Dr. Newton prayed earnestly that all who were struggling for sal- 
vation might be saved by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and that 
those who had sunk so low that they had no desire to rise might 
be brought to see the terrible error of their ways and helped to 
redeem themselves before it was too late. The congregation 
then united in singing the 89th hymn : 

" Yield not to temptation, 

For yielding is sin ; 
Each victory will help you 

Some other to win. 
Fight manfully onward, 

Dark passions subdue, 
Look ever to Jesus, 

He'll carry you through. 

Chorus — Ask the Saviour to help you, 

Comfort, strengthen, and keep you ; 
He is willing to aid you, 
He will carry you through." 

This hymn was sung with a will, all joining most heartily in 
the chorus. It was then announced by Mr. Moody that another 
meeting of the same character would be held next Friday noon, 
and the meeting adjourned. 

Mr. Sankey, with all his enthusiastic love of the Father, for 
whose worship all hymns were written, never forgets that flesh is 
very weak, and must be helped by all the means which can be 
provided. He therefore usually selects hymns for the opening 
praise with a light, joyous melody, which soon brings all hearts 
into sympatlry, so that, as -the services proceed, the majestic 
movement and grand harmonies of familiar long-metre hymns do 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 295 

not roll ineffectively around souls still insensible from worldly 
influence, but sweep in resistless waves of music along the ten- 
derest chords of the human heart, lifting the soul far above the 
burden of clay which weighs it to the earth. 

When a meeting is held specially for young men, it is always 
better that those for whom it is intended should take the most 
prominent part in the exercises ; but every one who has had the 
management of such gatherings will readily appreciate the diffi- 
culty that is always experienced in carrying this rule into practice. 
What is needed to make young men's meetings full of interest and 
productive of benefit is short addresses, prayers, and little crumbs 
of experience incident to a young man's life ; and when twenty or 
thirty participate within an hour, each contributing to the spiritu- 
ality of the occasion, there never need be any fear of a dull meet- 
ing. A word of encouragement from an old Christian, who has a 
young heart, is always welcome and beneficial ; but when the 
aged brethren monopolize three-fourths of the time, as is some- 
times the case, with long, prosy, and wearisome sermonizing, all 
the soul of the meeting is effectually stamped out, and the time 
is, of course, then wasted. 

Throughout the series of deeply interesting gatherings of young 
men, held in the North Reformed Church, Brooklyn, under the 
excellent superintendence of Charles M. Morton, this difficulty 
was not unfrequently encountered ; and the same evil began to 
show itself in the meetings held here nightly. 

A happy suggestion was, however, made and acted upon. 
Mr. Moody announced on Sunday that the following evening a 
fathers' meeting would be commenced at Dr. McCook's church,, 
Penn Square ; " and henceforth," said he, " nobody over forty 
years of age will be admitted to the young men's meeting. I put 
the limit at forty, because that will just allow me to go there when 
I want." The fathers' meeting was accordingly held on Monday 
night, and last evening it developed into a parents' meeting, both 
fathers and mothers being invited to attend for prayer and con- 
versation in regard to the conversion of their children. Mr. John 
Field has been chosen as the leader ; and it seems likely that 



296 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

this new feature will speedily become one of the most important 
auxiliaries of the revival work. The leader last evening delivered 
a brief but very impressive address, relating an incident con- 
nected with his own personal history which touched every heart ; 
then the meeting was opened for prayer and short testimonies, 
many petitions being offered for unconverted parents and children 
out of the ark of safety. | 

Said Mr. Moody : " I was never more shocked than on one 
occasion when a father said to his son, after he had returned 
from a meeting of this kind where he had given his heart : ' My 
son, I always hoped that you would become established in busi- 
ness before you gave attention to matters of religion ; ' but I don't 
believe one father out of ten millions would say such a thing as 
that. It is better to go up to heaven from the poor-house than to 
go down to hell in a gilded chariot. What is there to be gained 
by losing your soul and thinking only all the time of riches ? " The 
speaker said that he would rather lose his eyes ten thousand 
times over than to lose his soul. He then narrated an incident 
of a little child who had been run over and killed, and the news 
was taken to the father by the superintendent of a Sunday-school 
in Chicago, and when the superintendent told the father he arose 
like a wild man and rushed to the mother, and she cried out to 
be taken to see the child ; but the good man told her that the 
child's body was so mangled that it could not be recognized by 
her. The superintendent said to Mr. Moody that he would rather 
do anything again than to bear such news to a family and witness 
such a sight. The speaker said that it would be better to lose 
everything than lose your own souls. The little child went to 
heaven ; it would be far worse to have borne the news that their 
little child's soul had been lost. Let the news go up to heaven to- 
night, " Saved." Strive to enter heaven by the straight way. A 
man has but to will to do a thing, and it will be done. God has 
done all he can for you. He has sent his only Son to save you, 
and if you will to be saved you will find comfort, peace, and hap- 
piness. It is for you to decide to-night whether you will serve 
the Lord or will take the side of Satan. Since the fall of 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 297 

Adam, Satan has been an usurper; he has no right to this 
world. The Son of man has come to seek and save ; he is here 
now to seek and save. Are you willing to be saved now ? No 
matter how dark and deep your sins may be. He can pardon 
your sins if you will only come to him. Christ comes to you to- 
night fo carry you over the dark river, if you will only let him. 
Sinners, won't you come to Jesus to-night ? 

Meeting for Women. 

The afternoon service, which was exclusively for women, may 
be said to have commenced the actual work of the revival. The 
meeting was one never to be forgotten by any who were present. 
At two o'clock the doors were thrown open, and the crowds be- 
gan to pour in until before half-past three all available space was 
crowded. More than eleven thousand women gathered at this 
religious service, the ushers and reporters being the only men 
allowed on the main floor. By far the larger portion of the occu- 
pants of the platform were ladies representing the upper and 
middle classes, while here and there could be seen poverty- 
stricken needle-women who in their battle for life had been unable 
to find time to think of the life to come. Fully three hundred 
members of the combination choir were in their seats, and on the 
stage were many prominent clergymen. Said the evangelist: 
" You have seen the murderer before the court of justice. If he 
had a mother she was there with him. She was not ashamed of 
him, but would say, ' Guilty or not guilty, he is my boy, and I 
love him.' How such a mother clings to her son's side every 
moment possible ! How she watches every witness who comes 
to testify against her own ! How she weeps and prays with him 
in his narrow cell, and when at last the verdict comes in 'guilty,' 
the loving heart-strings break at last, and the mother is carried 
fainting, almost dead, from the room. But her boy still lives for 
a few hours, and she comes back. She follows him to the scaf- 
fold, and suffers a thousand deaths while he is suffering one.' 
At this point the loud sobbing of a woman in the audience be- 






298 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

came so painful that for a moment the speaker could not proceed. 
Recovering himself, he said : " Such is a mother's love, and yet 
your Heavenly Father loves you more dearly, more devotedly 
than a mother ever can." All who desired to be prayed for were 
then requested to rise, and at least three thousand persons 
stood up. 

Inquiry-Meetings. 

Mr. Moody then arose and said : " I want to say a few words 
to you to-day about the inquiry-rooms. Many persons talk about 
them as though they were something new, and ask what is the 
object of such places ? We have been much hindered in our 
w r ork by people who, night after night, come as spectators, as 
though we were all on exhibition. I think it is very strange that 
any Christian should not understand the object of inquiry-meet- 
ings, for they are not an innovation. Look at the third chapter 
of Luke and at the ninth verse : 'And now also the axe is laid at 
the root of the trees ; every tree therefore which bringeth not 
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. And the 
people asked Him, saying, What shall we do then ? ' Then there 
was an inquiry-meeting at once. The people became anxious 
about the salvation of their souls, and wanted to know what they 
should do to be saved. ' He answereth and saith unto them, He 
that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; 
and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.' That was an in- 
quiry-meeting. All the people wanted was a little advice, and 
that was given them. ' Then came also publicans to be baptized, 
and said unto Him, Master, what shall we do? And He 
said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.' 
That was another inquiry-meeting. ' And the soldiers likewise 
demanded of Him, saying, And what shall we do ? And He said 
unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; 
and be content with your wages.' You see all classes of hearers 
were asking, ' What shall we do ? ' They were given special an- 
swers for special cases, and that constituted an inquiry-meeting. 
Even John could not preach so plainly but that his hearers 



/ 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 299 

wanted more expounding. The object of inquiry-meetings is to 
answer those who have special questions to ask. Many persons 
may be affected by a good sermon or touched by a fervent 
prayer, but each one may have peculiar difficulties to overcome, 
and unless these can be presented to some Christian who, having 
been through the same trials, can advise how to get rid of them, 
even the most anxious souls may go away discouraged, and, what 
is worse, remain away. In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew we 
read, ' Now Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the 
house ; and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare unto 
us the parable of the tares of the field. There was another in- 
quiry-meeting at once. Even the faithful disciples of Jesus had 
questions to ask as soon as opportunity offered. In the fifty-first 
verse we find that the Master himself opened an inquiry-meeting, 
for it says: 'Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all 
these things ? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord.' There, you see, 
He was encouraging them to make inquiry. This is the only 
way the Truth can be preached and be made effective. We must 
get right in among the people and answer the numberless ques- 
tions which confuse groping minds if we wish to bring souls to 
Christ. If there were more inquiry-rooms there would be more 
effective preaching. In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew we 
read • 'Then came Peter unto Him and said, Lord, how oft shall 
my brother sin against me and I forgive him ? till seven times ? ' 
This was an inquiry-meeting started by Peter, and it is a very 
good thing that Peter went to the Lord with that question, for 
otherwise we never would have had this blessed answer : ' Jesus 
saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times ; but, 
Until seventy times seven.' Christ always encouraged His fol- 
lowers to come to Him, and He was always ready to answer 
their inquiries. The preaching that does bring inquirers is just 
the kind the devil does not want. 

"Another inquiry-meeting is told of in the 19th chapter of 
Matthew: 'And behold, one came and said unto Him, Good 
Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?' 
In the 24th chapter of Matthew, still another inquiry-meeting is 



300 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

spoken of: ' And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the dis- 
ciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us when shall these 
things be ? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the 
end of the world ? ' These all show how they used to have in- 
quiry-meetings in the days of Christ. In the 2d chapter of the 
Acts we read: 'Now when they heard this, they were pricked 
in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, 
Men and brethren, what shall we do ? Then Peter said unto 
them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Ghost.' In the 8th chapter of the Acts we hear 
of an inquiry-meeting that did not take place after a sermon or 
in church, but way off in the desert. Philip found a poor eunuch 
out in the desert and quieted his anxious spirit by telling him it 
was only necessary to believe in order to be saved. The eunuch 
was baptized, and went on his way rejoicing. The Bible is full 
of accounts of inquiry-meetings. While Paul was at Rome there 
was at all times anxious persons hastening to his house and in- 
quiring, ' What shall we do to be saved ? ' They did not go 
there to kiss Paul's great toe, but to find the way of life. Some 
people say you should not speak to persons after they have been 
listening to a good sermon, for you may disturb the seed already 
sown. Don't you know it's the devil who is most apt to disturb 
the seed? We should not only sow it, but harrow it down. 
All the workers in the inquiry-rooms should carry their Bibles and 
have them ready for just such cases. When the inquirer is seek- 
ing for light, you need not talk to him ; hold up just the right 
passage from the Scripture and let him read it. The third class 
are those who are not convicted of sin. I met a man last even- 
ing who acknowledged that he had not been in a place of worship 
for eight years, but still he was very anxious to have me under- 
stand that he was not a bad man, though he did admit that now 
and then, when he became angry, he would swear. Now I knew 
the only way to do in his case was to get the law on him. So I 
turned to the 3d chapter of Romans and read to him : 'And it 
is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.' Then I turned 






MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 30I 

to Isaiah and showed him that the thoughts of the Lord could not 
be his. The only way to convict a man is to bring the law of 
God to bear on his conscience, and then when he fully feels his 
wickedness teach him to lift up his heart in prayer to God. There 
is generally in the inquirer either the spirit of the Pharisee or 
the spirit of the Publican. God be thanked for the spirit of the 
Publican. Don't give comfort to the Pharisee, or to the uncon- 
victed. Show them plainly their wickedness. But when they are 
convicted and feel that nothing ever can wash away their sins, 
turn to the ist chapter of Isaiah and show them the 18th verse : 
e Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord ; though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though 
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.' What more 
comfort could be asked than this ? Scarlet and crimson are two 
fast colors, yet the Lord can make them white." 

The inevitable question, asked and answered so often, What is 
the secret of the power of these men ? recurs to each new com- 
munity where their influence is directly exerted. The frequent 
motive behind the inquiry is personal desire to enjoy and employ 
this secret in the service of Jesus. This becomes every honest 
worker, and justifies the attempt to unveil the hiding of their in- 
fluence, for the information and inspiration of those who would 
fill the earth with redeemed souls. And, again, in the midst of 
our gathered threads, we insert the answers to this problem, that 
they may be woven into the beautiful robe of their wonderful 
career. 

There are two points here to be considered : r. The occasion 
met these men, and, 2. They proved equal to it. If the capabil- 
ity had not been in them, they would have dropped into obscurity 
like hosts of others. But it is no less true that for lack of occa- 
sion great powers often lie concealed, not only from the world, 
but even from him whose they are. In Chicago, hundreds, even 
thousands, gladly heard Mr. Moody, and he there proved his 
efficiency in every department of the work he undertook. Had 
he not, it is by no means probable that a larger opportunity 
would have opened to him. When the enlarged opportunity was 



302 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

given, he showed a breadth of comprehension, a depth of insight, 
a control over large masses, and a mastery of the myriad details 
of a great undertaking, such as his work in Chicago never would 
have called for. There is another consideration. Mr. Moody's 
powers have had development; his capabilities have not only 
been educed, but they have been improved by exercise. 

Mr. Moody talks as if he knew just what he wanted to say, and 
was determined to say it. In this he is an example to Sunday- 
school teachers. 

Mr. Moody's Christian experience was of a most positive 
kind ; and a vivid realization of the appalling fact that on every 
hand men were perishing eternally moved him to the work which 
has now grown to such great proportions. In awakening the 
consciences of the unconverted and stimulating the activities of 
Christians, he possesses a rare power that none can fail to recog- 
nize. Herein lies his greatness. No one will claim for Mr. 
Moody the richness of language, the resistless pathos and humor, 
the wonderful mimicry and dramatic power that characterize the 
great temperance orator. But Mr. Gough does not more thor- 
oughly hold an audience than Mr. Moody. We have heard the 
latter when every eye and every ear in his vast audience were 
riveted upon him — the place, the man, all else in the universe 
forgotten, while his homely sentences and pointed illustrations 
issued forth hot and glowing, radiant with quaint touches of im- 
agination, and varied by occasional sallies of quiet humor, the 
whole saturated with sincerity and marked by the simplicity of a 
child-like faith. This was oratory of the truest sort. There are 
many men who talk as effectively as Mr. Moody for a little while, 
or occasionally. They can get the sympathy of an audience 
when they chance to be in the vein 5 but it is a very different 
thing to be master of an audience. Mr. Moody is always that ; 
at his best superlatively so. 

A minister who went to hear Mr. Moody preach was surprised 
that there was so little of plan or of argument in his discourse, 
that it was made up so largely of declaration and appeal, and he 
wondered how such preaching could prove so impressive. In- 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 303 

deed, he was sure that a sermon of that kind was not likely to 
convince an unbeliever; it seemed, in fact, only addressed to 
those who admitted the truth of the great facts which the preacher 
emphasized. The minister was pleased with Mr. Moody as a 
man. He admired his earnestness and his desire to win souls to 
the Saviour ; but he could not think his sermon as a sermon 
amounted to much. Something else than such preaching, he was 
confident, gave Mr. Moody the ears of the multitude. 

Yet, just here, that minister made a great mistake. It would 
have been a blessed thing for him and for sinners about him if he 
had recognized, in what he counted the lack of Mr. Moody, one 
of the sources of Mr. Moody's special power as a preacher. 
That minister thinks it always his duty to argue with unbelievers. 
He is a little in doubt himself on most points, and he sees that 
others are. He opens discussion with them in every sermon, 
and at the sermon's close neither he nor they are quite convinced. 
He does not rest down on the Word of God with such positive- 
ness that he has no thought of its being in question. Hence he 
never proclaims, declares, preaches the truth in confidence. He 
is called a good sermonizer, but his sermons neither convince 
unbelievers nor arouse the careless to seek salvation ; nor yet do 
they reassure distrustful Christians. If he would but believe with 
Mr. Moody's confidence, and declare the gospel with Mr. Moody's 
positiveness, he would have more of Mr. Moody's success in 
bringing his hearers to a sense of their danger, and to an accept- 
ance of the full salvation to which he points them. 

Two men were riding in a street-car together. One was a 
skilled infidel and controversialist. The other was a simple- 
hearted Christian layman. The infidel sought to provoke an 
argument as to the Bible and its truths. The believer's response 
was : " I cannot argue the case with you. I am not competent to 
that. But this I do know. With all my heart I trust the Lord 
Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I only wish you had the joy in him 
which I have." The infidel's unexpected answer came promptly: 
" There you have got me. I can't answer that." The assurance 
which enables a child of God to testify for Christ and his salva- 



304 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

tion is more effective than the most carefully constructed argu- 
ments for the reasonableness of God's plan of redemption. 

The one unmistakable cause of the great interest attending 
these two brethren is the conviction that God is with them. 
Among the natural agencies which he is using through them are : 

(1) An irrepressible ardor of personal conviction ; 

(2) The simplicity, quickness, and brightness of the speak- 
ing ; 

(3) The speaker's utter forgetfulness of himself; no parading 
of his own sanctity, or humility ; of his own goodness or bad- 
ness, or of himself in any way. 

(4) An unaffected, loving regard for his fellow-men ; a real 
and affectionate interest in them ; and a hearty, genial way of 
showing it. 

(5) The entire naturalness of manner wins and holds attention. 
There is none of that straining after effect which is so apparent 
and so odious in some professional " revivalists ; " no solemn 
farce, no cant, no sentimentalism. He appears to be among 
evangelists what Walter Scott was among writers — a sturdy, 
wholesome, manly man. 

Mr. Moody owes none of his success to fiery enthusiasm, sensa- 
tional exhortings, or clever advertising, as many devotees, not to 
religion but to special church organizations, so confidently as- 
serted. He owes it all to simple earnestness, unerring judg- 
ment, and that never-failing conservator of human effort — method. 
Most of his brothers of the cloth, knowing that their con- 
gregations are composed of representatives of many classes and , 
conditions of life, and honestly desiring to preach and pray as 
much for one as another, forget that homoeopathic principles can- 
not be extended to include the soul diseases which the Great 
Physician came to cure, and thus continue to dilute the current 
of their endeavor by attempting to preach on all sins and to all 
sinners at the same time, until such infinitesimal portions are dis- 
pensed to those who need special aid that their work is, after all, 
but "love's labor lost. Mr. Moody, from the very start, has been 
as systematic in his work as an astronomer laboring to master 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 305 

the secrets of some newly-discovered planet. He is not content 
with simply giving his life to the cause of religion, trusting to 
some higher power to carry home the arrows shot at random, but 
so husbands his strength, so concentrates his energies, and so 
persistently directs his efforts to the special work of the moment, 
that every word is made to tell, and each succeeding sentence 
carries more and more conviction to the hearts which it is in- 
tended to influence. It will be remembered that, contrary to 
all precedent, the evangelist commenced his work of regenera- 
tion, not with the unconverted, but with professed Christians. 
Ignoring the sins of sinners, he preached only of the sins of saints. 

For one whole week this unexpected but perhaps not unneces- 
sary prelude to the regular programme was continued, and dur- 
ing that time it is possible that not a few really earnest and de- 
voted lovers of their Master discovered that in the crowning 
grace of charity they were sadly lacking, for Christian bounty 
should be as boundless as the sea and Christian love as deep. 
During the past week Mr. Moody has worked exclusively for 
those who, while not doubting the truth of Revelation, have failed 
to follow its teachings or come into full sympathy with its consol- 
ing spirit. These divided from the Christian workers, the pro- 
fessed infidels and unbelievers in the plan of the Atonement, 
were again subdivided by Mr. Moody's system of teaching into 
as many different classes as their varied needs seemed to require. 
For each special services were held, at which special arguments 
and appeals were employed to reach their particular cases. 
There were meetings for men, meetings for women, meetings for 
mothers, for fathers, for young men, for parents, and last, but 
not least in importance, for drunkards. At each one of these 
assemblages the services, from the opening prayer to the bene- 
diction, were conducted exclusively and most heartily for the 
spiritual benefit of the class which had responded to the call. 

Curious as it may appear, the great evangelist seems instinct- 
ively to have adopted in his spiritual warfare with Satan precisely 
the same tactics which, originated by the first Napoleon, was the 
secret of his numberless and marvellous victories. Napoleon 



306 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

never made a direct movement until he had so divided the bat- 
talions of the enemy that by a coup d'etat he could concentrate 
his whole force on one subdivision, thereby gaining a certain vic- 
tory without material loss, and thus continuing until the enemy 
was reduced to fragments and routed. The evangelist, in his 
crusade against evil, follows exactly the same plan. Instead of 
imitating the Church and firing indiscriminate and ineffective 
rounds into the well-trained ranks of the enemy, he persuades 
the sinners to divide themselves into clearly-defined classes, and 
then concentrates his whole force on the separated fragments, 
with, as a result, an amazing number of unconditional surrenders. 
But, besides Mr. Moody's earnestness and attention to system, 
there is back of all an overpowering strength of will, made pecu- 
liarly effective by a large amount of animal magnetism. These 
qualities combined would raise any man of ordinary intelligence 
above his fellows ; but when this power is controlled by intense 
religious feeling, it not only raises the leader above his fellows, 
but his fellows above themselves. Who shall describe the evan- 
gelist's preaching? He is not oratorical or rhetorical or even 
logical. His brightest ideas are not aesthetic, and his most 
effective appeals are not pathetic. Still, he has the faculty of 
selecting out the very arguments or illustrations which will most 
affect the particular heart he desires to touch, and of presenting 
those arguments or illustrations in such a gleaming light of plau- 
sibility as to throw into a shadow every opposite thought which 
chance may evolve. When speaking to parents, he invariably 
tells of the beautiful children who stand beckoning to their loved 
papa and mamma from the summerland ; when talking to sons 
and daughters, he adjures them by their white-haired father or 
sainted mother to hasten onward to the place of pure delight 
where all who love may be again united. He appeals to hus- 
bands to reform for the sake of their loving wives and innocent 
children, and to wives to come to the Father for the sake of their 
wayward husbands and helpless babes. There may be art in 
such methods of making truth patent, but with Mr. Moody it 
has the effect of the perfection of art — artlessness. 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 307 



The Harvest Gathered. 



The third week of the evangelists' labors among the uncon- 
verted in Philadelphia, drew to a close on Saturday, Dec. nth. 

At the end of a fortnight their special work, that of arousing 
members of churches to activity and individual effort, was prob- 
ably as far advanced as in Brooklyn when the evangelists had 
ended their month's labors ; but, then, it must be remembered 
that the City of Brotherly Love had caught inspiration from the 
glorious and successful meetings in Brooklyn, which will always 
be remembered as initiatory of a revival that promises to be 
widespread, if not national, in its influence and extent. There 
were some difficulties to be overcome when the work was begun 
in Brooklyn, which did not present themselves in Philadelphia. 
When the evangelists came here on the 21st of November, it was 
no longer a matter of doubt that in their own land, as well as in 
the British Isles, great crowds would be attracted to listen to Mr. 
Moody's earnest talks and Mr. Sankey's sweet gospel sermons in 
song. Something of the methods by which the multitudes were 
to be reached and brought under religious influences had begun 
to be appreciated ; the efficiency and important mission of the 
inquiry-meeting were recognized, if not generally, at least in 
part ; and so the special work in the City of Churches, while it 
has brought forth lasting fruit in the conversion of many souls, 
and migh': have been still more effective had it been of longer 
duration, was also influential here in Philadelphia, and in many 
cities and towns, through the medium of the press, as sounding 
the preliminary bugle-notes which called the Lord's hosts to 
battle. 

There have been held during the last three weeks thirty-eight 
meetings addressed by Mr. Moody, nine of them being specially 
for Christian workers, fourteen for the general public (these had 
an average attendance of eight thousand), and fifteen daily 
prayer-meetings, at which the gatherings have been on the 



308 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

average about three thousand. If the congregation had been 
composed of new faces at every service, more than two hundred 
thousand of the citizens of Philadelphia would have been reached, 
but most probably half of each audience has been made up of 
substantially the same people. Of the remaining one hundred 
thousand, however, there is every reason to believe that a large 
proportion were of just the class sought to be reached in these 
special services — namely, those who are strangers to religion. 
Many who have not been attending any place of worship for a 
length of time, have come ' into the depot church and heard 
the Gospel faithfully preached. Thus it will be seen a widespread 
influence is being exerted throughout the families of this great 
city by these special meetings beyond that which could have 
been brought about through the regular services at the various 
churches 

A great work has been done amongst the young men. Meet- 
ings are conducted each evening by Mr. John Wannamaker in 
the Broad and Arch M. E. Church, at which the average attend- 
ance has been little short of five hundred. Here many conver- 
sions have taken place ; young men have learned to talk to young 
men, and with loving entreaty and kind sympathy lead them to 
Christ. Mr. Moody spoke to those who gathered at this meeting, 
and incited them to band themselves together for a canvass of 
the city, that they might bring many strangers to the meetings 
and make their influence felt in all parts of Philadelphia. Not 
only was this work recommended, but hints were thrown out that 
a still more important mission might be given to the young men 
of this city. Philadelphia, he said, was a great centre, and there 
are hundreds of towns and villages in all the surrounding country 
where special meetings might be held and become productive of 
most wonderful results. " A thousand young men are wanted," 
he said, "to devote themselves to Christ's service." 

Excursion trains are running almost every night, bringing in 
hundreds to the meetings. Thus the village churches and coun- 
try ministers will be aroused, quickened, and encouraged, and a 
spirit of energy and Christian zeal very widely infused. 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 309 

Women's meetings are being held every afternoon in Dr. 
McCook's church ; but with one or two exceptions, these gather- 
ings, although attended by four or five hundred persons, have 
not been as profitable or enlivening as they might be made. One 
defect has been that the singing is not sufficiently hearty or con- 
gregational — not more than one out of twenty of the sisters seem 
to take any part in the service of song. There is also a tendency 
to long speeches ; and altogether greater heartiness needs to be 
infused into the meetings in order to make them as useful as such 
services are designed to be. 

Judging from Mr. Moody's own words, the results have been 
more than satisfactory — they have been surprising. More con- 
verts are believed by the evangelists to have been made during 
the past week than in any other week ever spent in America. 
The inquiry-rooms, so often explained and so ably defended by 
Mr. Moody, have been full almost every evening, and a large pro- 
portion of those converted have at once become workers for the 
salvation of others. There were on Sunday three regular ser- 
vices ; the first in the morning for Christians, the second at four 
o'clock for women, and the third in the evening for men. At the 
early morning service the evangelists were greeted with a congre- 
gation of over 6,000 Christian workers, supported by an excellent 
voiced and well-drilled volunteer choir of 500 members. This 
choir has been so perfectly trained, under the direction of Mr. 
Fischer, that it has become one of the best organizations of its 
kind ever drawn together in the city. The services opened with 
the nth hymn, 

I have a Saviour, He's pleading in glory, 
A dear, loving Saviour, though earth friends be few ; 

And now He's watching in tenderness o'er me, 
And oh ! that my Saviour were your Saviour too, 



which was sung by the whole congregation with much spirit and 
rare grace of expression for a body of 6,000 or 7,000 singers, 
most of whom were strangers to each other. The words, "For 



3IO MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

you I am praying," were repeated in the softest of echoes. The 
87th hymn, 

Lord, I hear of showers of blessing 

Thou art scattering full and free — 
Showers the thirsty land refreshing ; 

Let some droppings fall on me. 

Chorus — Even me, even me, 

Let Thy blessing fall on me, 

was next sung by the choir, led by Mr. Sankey, whose sweet 
voice rang out pure and clear above the multitudinous harmonies, 
like the notes of a silver flute amid the fortissimo tones of a pow- 
erful orchestra. Win. B. Dodge, of New York, then made a 
prayer, asking that in the spirit of the hymn just sung all might 
move forward through the day, and that the Lord might grant to 
each and all a Sabbath day's blessing. He prayed that all might 
be quickened in their efforts for the advancement of His glory, 
and that clearer views of the beauty of salvation, as well as of 
the pains of eternal death, might be given. He prayed that His 
servant, Mr. Moody, should be strengthened and be able to speak 
like a dying man to dying men. The 79th hymn, 

Sowing the seed by the daylight fair, 
Sowing the seed by the noonday glare, 
Sowing the seed by the fading light, 
Sowing the seed in the solemn night, 
Oh ! what shall the harvest be ? 

was next announced. This, whether regarded from a Scriptural, 
poetical, or musical standpoint, is one of the most beautiful hymns 
in the collection ; and it has became such a favorite that nearly 
all singers have learned it, and now as the familiar notes of the 
chorus are touched by Mr. Sankey, the sweet melody, rich har- 
mony, and rather intricate movement are perfectly followed by 
thousands of voices. The last verse, "Sowing the seed with an 
aching heart," was sung with affecting expression by Mr. San- 
key, and as the echoes of the solo died away the choir could be 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 311 

heard repeating the chorus in whispers of melody. Mr. Moody- 
then arose and read a part of the twelfth chapter of Romans. 
After which the 170th hymn, 

Hark ! the voice of Jesus crying, 
" Who will go and work to-day ? " 

was sung by Mr. Sankey to the beautiful tune of " Your Mission," 
which became such a favorite with the martyred President Lin- 
coln. 

The theme and spirit of the two compositions are very similar, 
the latter being religious, while the original, though far from 
irreligious, was still better adapted to secular than purely devo- 
tional occasions. Mr. Moody made a fervent prayer, thanking 
the Father for the success of the past three weeks, and asking 
for blessings on the week to come. He prayed that all the 
workers in the harvest-field might be strengthened and filled 
with zeal for the work. The congregation, with Mr. Sankey, 
sang with inspiring earnestness the noth hymn to the familiar 
tune of Antioch. As the stanzas were concluded, Mr. Moody 
arose and preached an eloquent sermon from the text, " Occupy 
till I come." Luke xix. 13. He said the Church had been 
divided by some one into four very familiar classes. First, there 
were the destroyers, who found their way into almost every con- 
gregation and proved destructive to prosperity, as well as peace 
and harmony. Then there were the obstructors, who continually 
opposed every movement, whether for good or ill. Next came 
the idlers, and finally the workers. " Now, which of these four 
classes do you belong to ? " continued Mr. Moody. " I shall 
judge no man ; take your places as you please ; but if you have 
faith in Christ you must desire and occupy till he comes. The 
Church seems to have gone into camp and become demoralized. 
Some of its members have gone in simply to sleep and rest. I 
heard of one man who left one church where he had been a hard 
worker and wanted to enter another, but said he did not want to 
do any work. 'Oh!' said the minister, 'you have made a mis- 
take; you should apply to my neighbor, who is pastor of the 



312 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Church of the Heavenly Rest' I think very many more churches 
could appropriately be named the Heavenly Rest. Some people 
think because they can do but little their efforts are of no use. 
When Moses told Pharaoh that his God could remove the plague 
of the frogs, Pharaoh said, ' Oh ! I don't think much of your 
God if he is the God of such an insignificant little thing as a 
frog.' 'Yes,' replied Moses, 'but there are a great many of 
them.' Let us remember that we may be little, but if there are 
only a great many of us we can do a great work. We must 
remember that each one of us has talent peculiar to himself. I 
can't sing like Mr. Sankey, or carry on business like Mr. Stuart ; 
I am not an organizer like Mr. Wannamaker, yet if I use my half 
a talent as such a man as Rev. Dr. Dodge uses his ten, I will 
receive the same reward." Mr. Moody here spoke of a number 
of interesting instances of men using for the Lord such talents 
as he had given them, referring particularly to a Quaker in 
London, who, being unable to talk, sing, or otherwise labor, had 
expended his fortune in printing and circulating tracts. " This 
man," said Mr. Moody, " has already sent out more tracts than 
all the American and the London publication societies combined, 
and he is now in daily receipt of piles of letters from people who 
have been converted all over the world." 

The speaker also told of a gentleman of fortune in England 
who had spent the past nine years in searching through the slums 
of London and educating the gamins whom he rescued. Referring 
to the responsibility which all Sunday-school teachers assumed, 
he told of a little girl who was converted by her teacher (who 
probably afterwards forgot all about the child) ; that child grew 
up, became the mother of ten sons, all of whom were led into 
"paths of peace," and six of whom became ministers of the 
Gospel. Mr. Moody continued at some length exhorting those 
who had already received the Saviour to do all in their power 
to save others. At the conclusion of this sermon, those who 
were willing to try to save even one soul during the week were 
called upon to stand up, and fully two-thirds of those present 
rose to their feet. The persons who desired to become Christians 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 313 

were next requested to rise and one-half of the remainder stood 
up. 

The women's meeting in the afternoon was thronged with wor- 
shippers, every available space being occupied and thousands 
being compelled to turn sadly away from closed doors. Mr. 
Moody opened the meeting by announcing the 37th hymn — 

Tell me the old, old story. 

This was sung by the ten thousand voices with an effect hardly 
to be described. Wave upon wave of the richest harmony swept 
in great billows of musical sound from one end of the mighty 
structure to the other and finally seemed to die away among the 
sunbeams which rested gently upon the windowed roof. The 
last verse was so inspiringly rendered that at Mr. Moody's request 
the lines were repeated. After a few moments spent in silent 
prayer Bishop Simpson offered up a supplication imploring the 
Father to send on every one of the vast assembly the blessings 
of His grace, that all might feel that Christ had made them 
whole. He thanked the Lord for the wonderful effusion of His 
Spirit which had accompanied the labors of His servants, and 
prayed that they might see the multitude turning from worldly 
ways to paths of holiness and peace. A new hymn, 

Let us gather up the sunbeams 
Lying all around our path, 

was next sung as a solo by Mr. Sankey, the choir joining in the 
chorus : 

Then scatter seeds of kindness, 

Then scatter seeds of kindness, 

Then scatter seeds of kindness, 

For our reaping b) r and by. 

Mr. Moody then read from the 12th chapter of St. Matthew 

the parable of the ten virgins, and as he concluded Mr. Sankey 

exquisitely sang the new hymn, "The wise and foolish virgins." 

The latter part of this hymn is an adaptation of Balfe's "Too 

14 



314 MOODY AND SANKEY.IN AMERICA. 

Late," and was rendered by Mr. Sankey with rare beauty of 
expression. 

Mr. Moody next read a few verses in the 14th chapter of the 
Gospel according to St. Luke, in which the parable of the mar- 
riage supper is written. "I wish," said Mr. Moody, "to call 
your attention to the words, 'I pray thee, have me excused/ 
Though 1,800 years have rolled away, we find people still with 
one consent praying to be excused. It was not a pestilential 
hospital to which they were called, but to the marriage-supper. 
To-day the King of kings sends an invitation to every human 
being to be at the marriage-supper, and yet how many want to 
be excused. Suppose the Lord should take you all at your word 
and then lay the hand of death upon you ? What a wail would 
go up from this city of Philadelphia ! Suppose He should cease 
trying to compel you to come in, and just quietly shut the door 
upon you, have you ever tried to think of the anguish which such 
a change would bring ? If all. who wanted to be excused should 
be taken away, the grass would soon be growing in the streets of 
Philadelphia. There would be a good many shops shut up, there 
would be no saloon-keepers left, and I would have a very small 
audience here to-morrow night. Now, look at the excuses which 
these three men gave : the first said he had bought some land, 
and must needs go and see it. Now, when men buy land they go 
and see it before buying it, and even then would not start off at 
supper-time. The answer bears on its face the fact that it was a 
downright lie. The excuse was manufactured. The second man 
had a more absurd excuse than the first. He said, ' I have bought 
a yoke of oxen and must needs go and prove them.' That excuse 
was manufactured also. Men don't buy oxen and then prove 
them; they prove them first and buy them afterwards. More 
than that, the morning not the evening is the time to prove oxen. 
That excuse shows in itself that it's a lie. Then the third man 
could not come to the supper because he had married a wife. 
Why, if he had a wife, this fine banquet was just the place she 
would most like to attend. That excuse also was manufactured. 
Just notice how miserable all these excuses are. Now, I want to 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



315 



ask this audience just one question, Have you got a better one ? 
Can any one get up here and say, ' Mr. Moody, I have a good 
excuse ' ? I never saw any one in my life who had a better ex- 
cuse, and few have as good ones, yet even these, poor as they 
are, are manufactured. Look at some of the excuses we hear in 
the inquiry-rooms. Some say, ' Oh ! it's so hard to serve the 
Master. 7 This is a mistake, Christ is an easy Master. ' The 
way of the transgressor is hard? I stand here as a witness 
that my God and my Saviour is not a hard Master. Another 
excuse is that the inquirer don't understand the Bible. Now, I 
don't believe that excuse will stand the light of eternity. I never 
met skeptical people that have read the Bible from back to back, 
and I know there is no book more misjudged. People will sel- 
dom judge of a new book until they have read it, but they wil- 
lingly judge God's book before looking into it. More than that, 
the Bible was not made to understand. Don't give up the good 
old Bible until you can get a better book. You won't want to 
stand up before God and say : ' Lord, I was not saved because I 
did not understand the Bible.' Others excuse themselves on the 
plea that there are so many hypocrites in the Church and they 
don't like such company. Nov/, I admit that there have always 
been hypocrites in the Church, but is that a good excuse ? If 
every man on the face of the earth is a black-hearted hypocrite, 
is that any reason why you should be ? But if you don't like 
hypocrites you had better go to Christ, for not one of them shall 
sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. Stay away, and 
you'll go with the hypocrites through eternity. Again, I fancy 
that there is one in the audience who says, ' I am so vile that 
Christ won't receive me.' I know there is not one of you who 
can show me a place in the Bible where it says any one is so 
wicked that forgiveness is impossible. There is not a mother in 
the congregation who would not forgive a wayward child, and 
there is not a sinner in this assembly who cannot obtain forgive- 
ness of the Heavenly Father." Mr. Moody concluded with a 
touching incident in his own experience, relating in affecting 
tones the simple story of a brother lost for years and years, but 



316 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

at last found and clasped in a forgiving mother's arms. All who 
desired to be prayed for were then requested to rise, and about 
3,000 stood up, and afterwards, while the congregation united in 
singing the 91st hymn, "There is a fountain filled with blood," 
passed into the inquiry-rooms. These rooms soon became filled, 
and the overflow were provided with seats in the large hall on 
the northwest corner of the building, where Mr. Moody himself 
prayed and talked with those who had been affected by the ser- 
vices. 

The Depot-Tabernacle was crowded to repletion at the services 
held in the evening, and the most encouraging part of it was that 
the 11,000 persons assembled were all men. It has frequently 
been asserted that while Mr. Moody's touching prayers and 
simple addresses, combined with Mr. Sankey's singing, might 
easily attract large audiences of ladies, it would be impossible to 
fill the structure with representatives of the masculine gender. 
It has been proved by Mr. Moody, beyond doubt, that the con- 
sciences of men can be easily reached by honest, earnest endeavor, 
and manly argument, when showy but soulless phrases would 
hardly penetrate beyond the ear. 

Jesus, lover of my soul, 

was sung by the united tones of at least ten thousand male voices, 
led by the clear sopranos of the choir, with an effect as grandly 
beautiful as surprising. Rev. Dr. McCook then offered up an 
opening prayer, beseeching the Father to hear the supplications 
of his servants as they asked for mercy and forgiveness. He 
prayed that His Holy Spirit might descend and fill the great 
multitude as in the days of Pentecost, so that all could be won 
in sweet and holy subjection to Jesus Christ. He asked for faith 
to lay the petition from all before the Lord in the name of Jesus ; 
and blessings were particularly asked for those who were seeking 
Jesus. At the conclusion of the prayer Mr. Sankey took his seat 
at the organ, and with marvellous power of expression, sung the 
6th hymn : 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 317 

There were ninety and nine that safely lay 
In the shelter of the fold. 

Mr. Moody then called attention to the 14th chapter of Luke, 
beginning at the 16th verse. After the parable of the marriage- 
supper had been read Mr. Sankey sang the 81st hymn : 

The Lamb's bright hall of song, 
With its fair glory, 
Beckons thee on. 
Ref. — Room, room, still room, 
Enter now. 

Day is declining and the sun is low. 
The shadows lengthen, 
Light makes haste to go. 

The refrain was sung by the choir in the softest of musical 
whispers, having the effect of the distant melody of heavenly 
choristers. Mr. Moody then arose and repeated the sermon of 
the afternoon, on the subject of the " Supper of the Lamb." 
While the leader spoke of the three excuses, and showed how 
absurd they all were, the attention of the vast audience became 
more and more intense, until, as he began to exhort his hearers to 
come to Christ, to forget self and seek the forgiveness of a loving 
Master, the vast sea of faces, as if by some irresistible fascination, 
turned fixedly towards the speaker, and every glance became 
fastened on the lips from which Christ crucified was preached. 
Then, as he concluded and called upon those who desired prayers 
to stand up, several hundred strong men arose, and trembling 
with emotion, waited with bowed heads while Mr. Sankey exqui- 
sitely sang the 38th hymn : 

Come home, come home, 

You are weary at heart ; 

For the way has been dark, 

And so lonely and wild, 

O prodigal child ! 
Come home, oh ! come home ! 



318 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

As the echoes of the song of invitation died away Mr. Moody 
lifted up his hands in prayer, saying : " Our Heavenly Father, we 
thank Thee for this invitation to be at the marriage-supper, and 
we pray that we all may accept it. As these who stand up pray 
to God, ' Be merciful to me, a sinner,' may Thy Holy Spirit search 
them out. May these young men have courage given them, and 
let them not be ashamed of the Word of God. If there is a 
prodigal child here, oh ! help the wanderer in his efforts to return." 
At the conclusion of the prayer over 1,000 men accepted the 
invitation to go into the inquiry-rooms, and as the throng were 
pressing forward the vast assemblage sang the 86th hymn : 



Rock of Ages, cleft for me. 






This hymn was repeated, and with each stanza hundreds more 
arose and joined the throngs pouring into the rooms where the 
Christian .workers waited to receive and comfort them. 

Never was the Gospel Truth presented to erring man with 
greater force, and at no time since the inauguration of the meet- 
ings have such great results been seen. Hundreds flocked to the 
inquiry-rooms, all anxious to know more of the love, mercy, and 
tenderness of the Saviour, and very many more left for their 
homes for the first time giving any heed to the warning words of 
Him who came upon earth to call men to repentance, and who 
died that sinners might be saved. 

At the Monday morning roll-call Mr. Moody said that, as 
usual on Monday, the early meeting would be devoted to reports 
of progress from all sources. He began by reading an affecting 
letter from a convert, who was spoken to only a week before. In 
the note the writer said he had not been in church ten times in 
as many years. But when he listened to the sermon his heart 
broke, and returning home, after being spoken to by Mr. Moody, 
he wept for his sins, and, finally, surrendered unconditionally to 
Jesus. A man in the audience next arose, and told of two 
brothers who started out one Saturday morning, became intoxi- 
cated, and continued in that state until Sunday afternoon, when 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 319 

their mother requested prayers for her wayward boys. Both 
afterwards went separately and accidentally to the revival meet- 
ings, and, to the surprise of both, they met each other in the 
evening converted men. Mr. Cree spoke of a young man who, 
after many struggles, rose for prayers, and was finally converted. 
Rev. Mr. Culver spoke of the work at the Grace Mission, where 
fifty persons went into the inquiry-room, and thirty declared they 
had found peace. Many more cases had been noted in the con- 
gregation. A clergyman in the press-box said that at a previous 
service he spoke to a man who happened to be seated at his side. 
The man acknowledged that he had come to scoff. He went to 
the inquiry-room and was converted. Mr. Sankey referred to 
three men who had spent the whole of the morning meeting scoff- 
ing at the services, but who, upon being spoken to in a kindly 
manner, were easily led into the inquiry-room and soon afterwards 
led to the foot of the Cross. A number of clergymen gave the 
most encouraging accounts of the progress and effect of the 
revival in their churches. Several young converts present related 
their experiences in their journey from darkness to light. 

A young man in the back part of the audience arose, and in a 
trembling voice thanked the congregation for prayers and work 
which had helped to bring him, broken-hearted and repentant, 
to the foot of the Cross. 

Rev. Dr. Newton next called attention to the total absorption 
of the woman, in the chapter just read, to the will of God. She 
had a submission and a sublimity of confidence which all Chris- 
tians should endeavor to emulate. When she was asked if all 
was well, she answered, though she knew the child was lying 
cold and lifeless on his bed, " It is well." " Let us, too, remem- 
ber," continued the speaker, "that even if our prayers should 
not be answered, even if our dearest joys should be stricken 
from our lives, we should be able to say ' It is well' The great 
principle of this movement should be entire submission to God 
and unfaltering confidence in his love." 

Mr. Geo. H. Stuart next arose and related an affecting inci- 
dent of a man who came into the inquiry-room on the previous 



320 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

night, and after long years of infidelity at last was able to return 
to the wife, who had been so long praying for him, a Christian 
man. 

Mr. Sankey also spoke of two cases for which he desired 
special prayers : One was a man who came to him night before 
last and said he was one of eleven children, and all had become 
Christians but himself. He said he had once come to the meet- 
ing in hopes of finding Jesus, but could not. He came again on 
Sunday, "And then," continued the man, "when I heard Mr. 
Moody tell of that little child beckoning from the other side of 
the dark river I thought my heart would break,, for I had lost my 
only child only three weeks before. Oh ! cannot you help me ? " 
" I prayed with him there on the street where we met," added 
Mr. Sankey, " and he went home with a changed heart." Another 
case mentioned was that of a young girl who was converted on 
the previous evening and afterwards informed Mr. Sankey that 
she was the niece of an eminent clergyman in Belfast, Ireland, 
with whom the speaker had long been acquainted. " I told her 
to write to him at once," said the speaker, " and to tell the uncle 
who had so often prayed for her while he has been carrying on 
the good work that his loved one had found Jesus clear across 
the sea." 

Love to Christ will enable us to make sacrifices for him with- 
out feeling it to be a hardship. In illustration of this, Mr. 
Moody related a touching story of the wife of an Indian mis- 
sionary giving up her children to the care of Christian friends in 
this country so as to go back to the mission field where her own 
and her husband's labors had been before greatly blessed, and 
saying, just before she parted from them, "I want to say good- 
bye without a tear, for I would not like my children to think that 
it cost me tears to serve Christ." Then besides working from 
love, let us also put ourselves in sympathy with the people we 
want to influence for good. A man who had just come out of 
the penitentiary and had no friends, was won and his hard heart 
broken by just the kiss of my little girl. Let us put ourselves in. 
the place of those who are in trouble and distress ; get in sympathy 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 32 1 

with them ; then tne Lord will bless our efforts. We must have a 
heart to weep with those who weep. I heard a beautiful story told 
by Mr. Mingins, in New York. He said a lady came into the 
office of the City Mission and wanted a few tracts. She didn't 
feel as if she could do very much of active work for the Lord, 
but felt like giving away a few tracts. One day she saw a police 
man taking a poor drunken woman to jail, a miserable object, 
ragged, dirty, with hair disordered, but the lady's heart went out 
in sympathy toward her. She found the woman after she came 
out of jail, and just went and folded her arms around her, and 
kissed her. The woman exclaimed, " My God, what did you do 
that for ? " and she replied, " I don't know, but I think Jesus 
sent me to do it." The woman said, "Oh, don't kiss me any- 
more, you'll break my heart. Why, nobody hasn't kissed me 
since my mother died." But that kiss brought the woman to the 
feet of the Saviour, and for the last three years she has been 
living a godly, Christian life, won to God by a kiss. 

There were those who were affected to tears, so pathetic and 
yet so strikingly truthful were the words of the revivalist. All 
who heard him could not but have been convinced that the 
speaker was in earnest, and that he felt that the obligation that 
rested upon him was so great that unless he presented the truth 
in a manner not to be mistaken or misunderstood he would be 
coming short of his duty. The meeting was beyond question the 
most effective yet held, and showed the great power possessed 
by the evangelist. The singing of Mr. Sankey was in keeping 
with the preaching by his co-laborer, and very many were visibly 
affected by it. A spirit that can scarcely be understood and may 
be ascribed to the Most High seemed to pervade the place. 

At a meeting presided over by Mr. Wannamaker, he said : 
"These are golden days for Philadelphia. But a little while and 
we were all under a shadow. The traveller who has been to Inter- 
lachen will remember a feeling coming over him as of some impend- 
ing shadow of gloom. It was in some such shadow that we were 
until now, like a mantle covering us come these days of bright 
ness. To-night let this vast congregation join in the solemn 



322 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

prayer, he continued, to the Lord for the great and glorious work 
that is now progressing amongst us." The hymn, 

Rejoice and be glad ! The Redeemer has come, 
Go look on His cross and His tomb, 

was sung in such a beautiful and touching manner that an old 
gentleman sprang up at its conclusion from his seat in the plat- 
form and exclaimed : " I have frequently heard it said that Jesus 
loved a musical heart more than a musical voice. If that is so I 
can tell you that here we have learnt how both can be united ? " 
The old gentleman's remark appeared to intensify the quiet feel- 
ing felt by every one present as the. musical sounds in waves of 
melody rolled along the peaked roof of the immense structure. 
Mr. Wannamaker at this moment requested the choir to sing 

I am so glad that our Father in Heaven. 

"I want to utter a word of thanksgiving," said Mr. Sankey, "for 
having been permitted to witness in this dear land this glorious 
spectacle. Often in the British islands have Mr. Moody and I 
wondered, and hoped and prayed that we might be able to spread 
the old story amongst you all. When your chairman came to us 
in England and told us that a wave of prayer was going through 
this city, we were encouraged. We now praise the Lord in our 
hearts that we have come, and that our efforts have been benefi- 
cial in their results. 

A gentleman arose and said that although he had attended 
every communion in his church for the last thirty-two years, he 
never knew what it was to carry Christ in his heart until two 
weeks ago. A city missionary, who has been holding meetings 
along the wharves, said that within the last week he had been 
more than ever successful. Degraded men and women had 
fallen on their faces before the Throne and cried for mercy, and 
every day the good fruits of the present revival were becoming 
more and more manifest, even among the outcasts who would 
never enter a church or any building where Christian people 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



323 



would be willing to congregate. Mr. Wannamaker acknowledged 
that in all his experience he had never seen so encouraging a 
revival among the young men. Every service had been crqwded, 
and there never had been sufficient time to accommodate all who 
desired to speak or pray. " This depot," continued the speaker, 
" may be from this day forth the starting-point of many trains to 
heaven. Only keep on praying, and before spring comes to us 
again five thousand young men will welcome it as Christians." 

Said a gentleman : " Among the most conspicuous persons at 
the Rink in Brooklyn was a man of over fifty years, by profession 
a reporter, apparently of the sensational sort. Entering into 
conversation with him the second evening, we found him partly 
intoxicated, ribald, sneering, and professing infidel principles. 
Inquiring further concerning him, we found that he had been 
several times in the city jail, for misdemeanors committed while 
under the influence of liquor, although originally a man of culture 
and polish. 

"Time passed, and at one Friday evening meeting the same 
man, conspicuous by his commanding figure, sat in a back seat 
at the Simpson Church. I accosted him once more, and this 
was the answer : 

" ' I am waiting to thank Mr. Moody, who under God has been 
the greatest blessing of life to me. I have given up my engage- 
ment, the temptations of which are such as no Christian can face. 
And I am a Christian, a new creature — not reformed, you can't 
reform a drunkard ; I tried that a hundred times — but regen- 
erated, born again by the grace and power of God. I have 
reported sermons many a time, simply to ridicule them, but never 
had the least idea what true religion meant till I heard Mr. 
Moody's address on " Love and Sympathy " ten days ago, and I 
would not have believed there could be so much sweetness in a 
lifetime as had been condensed into those ten days. My chil- 
dren know the change ; my wife knows it ; I have set up the 
family altar, and the appetite for liquor has been so utterly taken 
away, that I only loathe what I used to love.' " 

The most interesting part of the meeting was the story told by 



324 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mrs. Keen, of the way in which she was led, when 19 years of 
age, to give herself entirely to God ; of how many times she felt 
that she must give up everything to God before she could work 
for him, and how at a ladies' meeting she was afraid to rise and 
say that she would give up her will to God because the ladies 
would say she was such a young giddy girl. It would be all gone 
to-morrow, " and," said Mrs. Keen, " they did say so. But I felt 
from that hour a different being. That it was all between God 
and myself, and it mattered not if I was thought singular, so long 
as I had this sweet feeling of rest and peace in my own soul. 
The thought came, Can I give my will to Him ? but I said, Lord, 
I take Thy will to be mine, so mine must be Thine." 

At the close of the morning service an inquiry-meeting was 
opened in Rev. Dr. McCook's church, and was continued all the 
afternoon. The attendance at this meeting was very large and 
the converts many. 

Mr. Moody arose and said : " I will open the meeting with a 
very few remarks about the inquiry-room. We have a great deal 
of trouble with people coming into the inquiry-room on outside 
business. One man pressed past the ushers yesterday and wanted 
to shake hands with me just because I was born in New England ; 
another wanted to see me because I once lived in Chicago ; others 
want to present requests for friends ; others want to talk on all 
sorts of subjects, and because I cannot attend to them think I 
am very rude. Now I don't want that impression to get abroad, 
and therefore ask all who desire to talk with me on purely per- 
sonal or general subjects, to try and find some other time for 
seeing me." The leader next read from the 5th chapter of Ro- 
mans, beginning at the 7th verse. Continuing, he said in all 
cases where persons had been blessed in the Bible they were 
asked to go home and tell their friends, and when they did this, 
either then or now, many more souls were at once led to Christ. 
He hoped that all young converts would confess Christ before 
the world, and thus be the means of leading hundreds and thou- 
sands of souls to the Saviour. 

" After a man is a Christian I would work him day and night. 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 325 

I believe that for one man killed by over-work in the cause of 
Christ ten thousand die from laziness." 

Mr. Moody, at the conclusion of his address, read a letter 
which he had just received from Manchester, in which a lady 
stated that all on behalf of whom she had requested prayer 
during the services in that city had been converted, except one, 
her brother, who had left his wife and family after bringing dis- 
grace upon the family, and whose misconduct was breaking his 
father's heart. " This is really a story of grace," said Mr. Moody ; 
"for this lady says in her letter: 'If he would but come home 
there w r ill be no reproach. Nothing but love.' Perhaps this 
man may have wandered in here this afternoon, or he may be in 
this country. Let us pray that he may be brought back, and that 
his family may rejoice over the return of the wanderer. 

After preaching his famous discourses on Heaven, Mr. Moody 
turned the tide of men's thoughts very sharply, and preached on 
" Hell," taking as his text two words from the parable of Dives 
and Lazarus, " Son, remember." "I can well imagine," said he, 
"that if you had known what I was to preach about to-night 
many would have staid away ; but I cannot afford to have it said 
that I held services in Philadelphia for four weeks and never 
once spoke about hell. ' Son, remember.' These are the words 
of the Lord himself. If any one of you has a servant, and you 
send him with a message, if he keeps back a part of your mes- 
sage because he thinks it too harsh you would dismiss that ser- 
vant at once. I must deliver the message that the Lord has 
given me as I find it; and if you have any quarrel about these 
words it must be with God and not with me. The thought that 
we take memory with us in f o the other world is very solemn. 
We talk about forgetting things, but the fact is we never forget. 
Twice I have been very near to death ; and all my past life came 
rushing back upon me ; everything that I had done crowded 
upon my memory. My whole life came up before me, tramp, 
tramp, tramp. When God says, ' Son, remember,' all the past 
will be recalled. We talk about God's book of record ; but we 
will need no one to tell us what we have done, for He makes 



326 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

every man keep his record. Talk about God condemning us ; 
why, we shall condemn ourselves ; we won't want any one to 
condemn us. Memory will come up against us, and there will be 
no need of any witnesses to prove our guilt. 

" A man who had charge of a swing-bridge opened it just to 
oblige a friend who said there was plenty of time for his boat to 
pass through before the train of cars came along. But a moment 
after the lightning express came thundering on and dashed into the 
dark waters below. The bridge-keeper, whose neglect had caused 
the disaster, lost his reason, and his life since has been spent in 
a mad-house. The first and only words he uttered when the 
train leaped into the open chasm were : ' If I only had ! ' and he 
has gone constantly repeating the vain regret. That will be the 
cry in the lost world, ' If I only had ! ' That is the cry of men 
who were living in Philadelphia a year ago. Ask the man in 
prison what it is that makes his life so wearisome, and he will 
tell you, ' Memory, memory.' And in the prison-house of hell 
it is memory that makes the place so awful — to think what they 
might have been if they had but accepted Christ when He was 
offered to them. A young man met the deacon of a church one 
Sabbath morning and asked him the terrible question : ' How 
far is it to Hell?' 'Young man,' was the reply, 'don't mock 
such a serious reality, you may be nearer to hell than you think.' 
They had only just turned the corner of the road, and ridden a 
few yards, when his horse threw him and he was picked up dead. 
Some of you went out of this building last night laughing and 
making merry ; you mocked at the idea of heaven, and when its 
joys were offered you, you kicked them away like a foot-ball ; but 
the time will come when you will remember that service. Some 
may go out to-night and drown the memory of this text in drink, 
but it will come up in the other world and then you can't drown 
it in drink. No doubt all the six thousand years Cain has re- 
membered the terrible sin he committed, and has heard the 
voice of that loving brother whom he murdered. Has Judas 
ever forgotten how he betrayed the Son of God with a kiss? 
How that word has gnawed away at his conscience these eighteen 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 327 

hundred years ! I tell you there is coming a time when you 
can't forget. Memory is the worm that dieth not. It is the same 
Bible which speaks of heaven that tells us of hell. There is no 
place in heaven for unprepared men — for those who are unre- 
deemed. Besides, what are such men going to do if they get 
there ? Do you think that these rumsellers, who are destroying 
so many souls, bodies too, as well as souls, and making so many 
widows and orphans — are they going to heaven without repenting 
and turning to God for salvation ? Or these men that are cursing 
and blaspheming God — can they join in the songs of heaven? 
Your own reason tells you no. Now mercy and salvation are 
offered, but in the lost world there will be no 'Jesus passing by/ 
no praying mother, no praying wife there ; they will be in another 
world, and between these is a great gulf fixed. Remember, you 
have got a praying wife to-night, perhaps she is sitting by your 
side. You can be saved to-night. God offers you salvation and 
mercy, and warns you, and pleads with you to be saved. 

" It is but one step out of yourself into Christ. Perhaps a 
loved minister has been pleading with you for many years — there 
will be no ministers there. You may laugh and scoff at these 
meetings — but there will be no special meetings in hell. And 
this service to-night will come to you by-and-by ; you will remem- 
ber how the preacher plead with you from this pulpit, and how 
Mr. Sankey sang. There will be no young man there putting 
his hand on your shoulder and asking you to be saved ; no Sab- 
bath-school teacher to lead you to Christ. Why not say now, 'I 
will turn to the God of my mother; I will this night seek salva- 
tion,' for God says : 'Then shall ye find me, when ye shall search 
for me with all your heart.' 

" I have heard people say, ' These meetings make men worse 
instead of better.' That is true—no one can pass through these 
special meetings without becoming either better or worse. When 
people have been stricken down by your side, and you still go on 
living in sin, you will soon get more and more hardened. The 
sermons that now move you will make no impression." 

Mr. Moody related an incident of a man in Chicago who twice 



328 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

determined to give his heart to God, but never had the courage 
to acknowledge Christ before his ungodly companions. When 
recovering from a long sickness, he still refused to come out 
boldly on the side of Christ, saying : " Not yet, I have got a 
fresh lease of life. I can't be a Christian in Chicago. I am 
going to take a farm in Michigan, and then I will profess Christ." 
" I asked him," said Mr. Moody, "How dare you take the risk? " 
He said, "I will risk it; don't you trouble yourself any more 
about my soul, Mr. Moody. I have made up my mind." I 
never left a man with a sadder heart in my life. The very next 
week he was stricken down with the same disease. His wife 
sent for me, and she said, " He don't want to see you, but I can't 
bear that he should die in such an awful state of mind. He 
says, " My damnation is sealed, and I shall be in hell in a week." 
I tried to talk and pray with him, but it was no use ; he said his 
heart was as hard as a stone. " Pray for my wife and my chil- 
dren, but don't waste your time praying for me." His last words 
were : " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and I am not 
saVed," and then the angels bore him away to judgment. 

Dr. J. Wheaton Smith offered the closing prayer, and from two 
to three hundred persons entered the inquiry-rooms, while the 
congregation sang : " Jesus, lover of my soul." The number of 
workers in the inquiry-rooms is gradually increasing ; frequently 
upwards of forty clergymen, with many other Christian men and 
women, were engaged in conversation with those who are anxious 
to find salvation. 

Prayer for the intemperate was again the theme of the noon- 
day meeting, as on the two previous Fridays. There were not 
less than five thousand persons in attendance. Mr. Moody said 
he would again call attention to the new birth. " I don't know," 
said he, "of any other refuge for a man addicted to strong drink. 
Unless Christ give him a new nature, all his good resolutions and 
his efforts to reform himself will be of no avail. You can't find 
anything in Scripture which will justify a man in the belief that 
he can reform the flesh. It is only when the new life is given 
by God that he can resist temptation. Flesh is flesh, and you 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 329 

cannot improve it. Some one has said, ' God never mends any- 
thing; He creates anew." It is of no use to go and tell a man 
he ought to reform ; just tell him to give up trying and accept 
the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. God does not put a new 
piece into an old garment. When God saves a drunkard He 
takes away all the appetite. Then a man does not have to give 
up the drink ; he does not want it any more, has no desire for it. 
Why I would just as soon go and eat mud as go into a saloon 
and drink. I have got something better. 

" Some say, ' Oh, but I want something as a stimulant' Sup- 
pose you do, you can get better stimulants than drink. When 
the Spirit of God fills a man's heart, and he gets thorough ac- 
quaintance with his Bible, he has the best kind of stimulant. 
God wants every poor drunkard to become a partaker of the 
divine nature. Of course the natural man don't know what we 
are talking about; we must be born of God before we receive 
spiritual strength ; with God's life in us we shall overcome. A 
man who has been intemperate for thirty years, and who would 
drink five glasses before breakfast, has just been reclaimed ; he 
says that all the appetite has been taken away. God can do this 
for every poor drunkard in Philadelphia, and he has done it for 
many during the last week or two." 

Mr. Moody then read a letter from an inquirer who, while try- 
ing to do right, knew his love for Christ was not the motive. He 
had come to a meeting hoping some word might be spoken which 
would help him to decide the question, What should he do to be 
saved ? Mr. Moody continued : " It is better to have love for 
Christ than to lead a blameless life without love. Now, the sub- 
ject for to-day will be backsliding; but I wish to say, first, that 
very few who call themselves backsliders ever slid forward ; they 
entered the church for some personal, social, political, or business 
reasons, and when they left it they were no worse than when they 
went in. Now, I want to speak to those who have really once 
been born of God. Such men may have slid backwards, but 
they are never satisfied, for any man who was once converted 
finds the world spoiled for him. In the 2d chapter of Jeremiah 



330 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

you will find the question, ' What iniquity have your fathers found 
in me ? ' What iniquity have you found in God that you should 
leave Him? That's what the question means. A backslider 
don't leave a congregation or a people ; he leaves God. In the 
19th verse you will find the words, 'Thine own wickedness shall 
correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee.' Do not 
think God can let such faults escape. The backsliders are the 
unhappiest mortals on the face of the earth. They seem to think 
it's a very light thing to break God's law, but God will punish 
them. God says to the backslider, ' I am married to you ; I am 
merciful ; but only acknowledge your sins and I will forgive you. 
Turn, O backsliding children ! saith the Lord, for I am married 
unto you.' What words can be more beautiful than these ? Why 
is it that these men have left such a Father? If you will only 
come back now you will have a warm welcome. But I believe 
many backsliders are still Christians outwardly, but they have 
been moving away in heart. They neglect secret prayer and 
become very formal in public devotion. Now, one very great 
comfort is to treat Christ and think of Christ as a personal friend. 
If I should go from here to Chicago, I should bid good-bye to 
my friends here before I started ; but did you ever hear of a 
Christian going to Christ and saying: 'Oh, Christ! you have 
been a dear friend to me, but I must bid you good-bye now. I 
am going away from you, and never expect to call again. Good- 
bye, for I am going back to the world ? ' Did you ever hear of 
any one backsliding in that way? I never did. You do not 
bid farewell to Christ ; you just run away from him without say- 
ing a word. All you need do now is to come back, and Christ 
will receive you." 

Sunday, the coldest day of the winter, seemed most forbidding 
for an early service. Nevertheless, at the eight o'clock service 
a congregation of seven thousand gathered to listen to Mr. 
Moody's address on "Daniel." Anticipation of a rich feast 
seemed written on many faces, for a goodly number had heard of 
the remarkable impression made by the delivery of this address 
in Brooklyn and in the cities across the Atlantic. Mr. Moody 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 33 1 

had an audience more sympathetic and thoroughly earnest than 
perhaps any that has gathered on previous Sunday mornings. 
All had gathered expecting to obtain a blessing and to learn 
some great lessons from the life of one of the greatest Bible 
characters ; and we venture to say no one went away disap- 
pointed. The meeting had been advertised as specially for 
young men, and probably three-fourths of those present were of 
that class. The address was a rapid review of the life of Daniel ; 
and great emphasis was laid upon the fact that at the age of 
seventeen he and his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego were not afraid to come boldly as God's servants. When 
ordered to eat meat and drink wine from the king's table, which 
had been offered to idols, and therefore was forbidden to the 
Jews, they refused. That is often the turning-point in a young 
man's history to be able to say " No," when the first temptation 
of city life is presented to him. During an address which 
lasted three-quarters of an hour the most wrapt attention was 
given throughout. 

Mr. Moody spoke in the afternoon in continuation of his last 
Sabbath afternoon's subject, which was on the text, " I pray thee, 
have me excused." Many people, he said, made the doctrine of 
election an excuse why they cannot accept salvation. He be- 
lieved that the world had nothing, to do with that word election ; 
it was only intended for the church, not for the unconverted ; the 
only word that the unconverted have to do with is "whosoever ;" 
Christ settled the question by telling John to write, " Whosoever 
will, let him come and drink of the water of life freely." " Do 
you think that God offers the cup of salvation to all men, and 
then, just as you are going to drink, he snatches it away, 
and says, 'Oh, but you are not one of the elect? ' God doesn't 
do anything of the kind. Some young people say that religion 
is going to make them gloomy, and they want to enjoy life before 
they, accept salvation. Who told you that lie ? Pardon for the 
condemned, bread for the hungry, a feast in the wilderness — are 
these likely to make men gloomy ? None are too young, and a 
marriage feast is just the thing likely to make the young happy. 



33 2 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Some people stumble over their intellect, and say they can't 
understand religion. There are hundreds of things we believe 
that we cannot understand. Many parts of the Bible I don't 
understand ; but I am not going to fight against my Lord with 
my puny reason. 

" That excuse will not serve us on the last day. We can't say 
then that we didn't come because God gave us too much reason 
and intellect. Some make the excuse that they are too bad. 
We preach a Gospel for the very worst ; but you can't clothe 
yourselves with your own righteousness ; you must have the 
righteousness of Christ. Many think they must prepare them- 
selves. God wants you just as you are in all your guilt and rags. 
If you come as princes He sends you away as beggars ; if you 
come as beggars He sends you away as princes. Just because 
our hearts are so bad is the reason we need a Saviour • the 
harder the heart, the more need you have of Christ, Nobody 
tells us we must weep over our sins so many hours ; it ain't 
necessary to shed tears to get into the kingdom of God. Feeling 
is the last plank the devil throws out just when a man is almost 
ready to step on the Rock of Ages. All you have to do is to 
believe — not believe yourselves, but believe in Christ. You 
can't give a reason for not accepting the invitation. All your 
excuses are a tissue of lies. Do you say you have not time ? 
Make time. Say, as a lady did last week, ' I won't leave this 
room until I have found salvation ; ' and she went out soon after 
rejoicing in sins pardoned." 

At the close of the sermon no less than five hundred rose for 
prayer, and a very solemn feeling was prevalent throughout the 
vast assembly. 

In the evening the same sermon was preached by Mr. Moody 
to a crowded audience, of which the greater portion were men. 

The afternoon service was the most effective in results of any 
that has yet been held. Three inquiry-rooms were thronged. 
Those who sought religious conversation were for the most part 
such as were evidently under divine influence. It not unfrequently 
happens that persons embrace the invitation to the inquiry room 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



333 



just for the purpose of airing their religious crotchets, or seeking 
the evangelist's opinion upon some peculiar tenet to which they 
may be attached. Some are anxious to have an argumentative 
encounter on a doctrinal point, or an intellectual set-to as to the 
reasonableness of some plain statement of Scripture. All such 
receive the cold shoulder from both Mr. Moody and Mr. Sanke) r , 
as well as from most of their fellow-workers ; and the cavilers 
and questioners are beginning to learn that the inquiry-room is 
no place for them unless they come prepared humbly and honestly 
to seek direction from the Holy Spirit through conversation with 
Christian men and women. 

Rev. Dr. C. D. Cooper said: "Probably no man has ever 
addressed a more distinguished congregation in this city than 
that to which Mr. Moody preached last night. While we are 
asking blessings for others, do not let us forget to pray that the 
words spoken in the ears of the President, his Cabinet, the 
Judges of the Supreme Court, and many members of the Con- 
gress of the United States, might prove to each one of them 
words of salvation. What an influence would go out through the 
distant parts of our beloved land if truth and righteousness 
should prevail in the hearts of all who fill important offices at 
the seat of government." 

Rev. J. Wheaton Smith then prayed very fervently for the dis- 
tinguished men who were in the congregation last evening. " We 
pray," said he, "for the Chief Magistrate of these United States. 
We thank Thee, O God, for what Thou hast wrought by him in 
the past, and for the honor given him amongst men ! We pray 
for a still greater glory to rest upon him — the crown of a forgiven 
sinner. Help him to feel in the discharge of his important duties 
that there is a duty which he owes to himself in regard to his 
own salvation." 

The occasion of these remarks and this prayer was this : A 
large party of gentlemen from Washington, who were invited to 
visit and inspect the Centennial preparations, took occasion to 
hear the evangelists, and on Sunday evening, the 19th, the follow- 
ing distinguished persons were upon the platform : President 



334 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Grant ; Hon. George M. Robeson, Secretary of the Navy ; ex- 
Gov. Jewell, Postmaster-General; ex-Secretary Borie; Hon. 
George Bancroft ; Judge Strong, of the United States Supreme 
Court; Governor Hartranft; ex-Governor Joel Parker, of New 
Jersey ; ex-Governor Bigler ; Hon. Thomas A. Scott ; Col. Fred. 
Grant and lady ; Bishop Simpson, of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church; Judge Buell, of New York ; ex-Speaker Blaine; Hon. 
Morton McMichael ; General Patterson ; General Garfield ; Sen- 
ator Christiancy, of Michigan ; Senator Wallace and wife ; ex- 
Senator Cattell ; Congressmen Wells, of Mississippi ; Thompson, 
of Massachusetts ; Purham, of Florida ; Judge Pierce ; Messrs. 
George H. Stuart, G. W. Childs, and John C. Bulli. 

When these prominent and well-known men appeared on the 
platform there was quite a commotion in the congregation, and 
many evinced a disposition to applaud. 

Bishop Simpson made the opening prayer, and pleaded very 
earnestly for a blessing upon the President and his Cabinet, for 
the Governors of States, and all in authority. 

It was with great difficulty that Mr. Moody preached on Sun- 
day night. He had contracted a severe cold, and the exertion 
of speaking during the early services of the day, and conversing 
with the inquirers for an hour besides, had rendered him very 
hoarse. As he warmed up in his discourse, however, his voice 
became, for the time at least, stronger and clearer, and he spoke 
w r ith almost his wonted earnestness — at fully his usual rapidity. 
Governor Hartranft, on leaving the building, said that he had 
heard so much of Mr. Moody's power to influence a great pop- 
ular assembly, that he had in advance formed a very high esti- 
mate of his ability as a public speaker. After listening to him 
he had come to the conclusion that all his friends had told him of 
Mr. Moody was by no means exaggerated. 

President Grant expressed himself as greatly pleased with the 
entire service, being especially gratified with the singing of Mr. 
Sankey. Ex-Speaker Blaine thought Mr. Moody was a wonder- 
ful man, and others of the distinguished visitors who occupied 
seats on the platform expressed themselves in similar terms of 
gratification. 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 33$ 

During the progress of the revival, the question often recurs 
as to the results achieved by such vast expenditures and labors. 
These are well summed up in the following paragraphs : 

Thousands of men and women gather every day in the week 
out of the busy masses of this great city to hear the gospel of 
Christ preached in simplicity and directness. Very many of 
these hearers are not in the habit of church attendance. They 
are told plainly of their need of salvation, and urged to yield 
themselves to the service of the Lord Jesus. Many others of 
them are professed followers of Christ, who have been cold and in- 
active in his service. They are called on to be up and doing for their 
Master, and are told just how and where to work for Him. 
Each day hundreds of the unconverted from among these hearers 
ask the prayers of Christians in their behalf, and enter the in- 
quiry-rooms for personal conversation with God's children as to 
their needs and duty. Many of the church members also are 
beginning Christian work with new zeal and new efficiency. 
Many of those who have not been avowed disciples of the Lord 
Jesus declare their readiness to trust and serve Him heartily. 
Moreover, hundreds of requests from those outside come up 
daily for special prayer, and on these calls God's children plead 
with Him for answers of peace accordingly. There are meetings 
for particular classes from time to time. Christian workers are 
appealed to as such. Sunday-school teachers receive special 
instruction. The unconverted are invited and addressed by 
themselves. Young men are brought together and counseled 
religiously. Drunkards are talked to plainly and prayed for 
earnestly. Women and men meet by themselves, and sermons 
are preached for their exclusive benefit. 

All this in itself is a great matter. No ordinary curiosity 
would bring together such audiences day after day for weeks to- 
gether. Mr. Moody is now well known, and most who cared 
merely to see and hear him have been gratified. His style of 
preaching is so simple that many who hear him wonder at its 
power ; but there is no diminishing of the crowds in attendance 
week by week. No undue excitement gathers and holds these 



33^ MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

hearers. All is quiet and calm at the meetings. The preacher 
makes no effort to sway his audiences by strong appeals to their 
passions. The choice he sets before them is simply that which 
the gospel offers wherever it is faithfully proclaimed. The in- 
terest in the meetings is a healthy interest in the cause and 
truth which they represent. The fact that it is exceptional — or 
unusual — only makes it the more important. Men of marked 
influence in the community, who have been known in almost 
every sphere but that of personal religion, are from time to time 
seen in attendance at these meetings, on the platform or in the 
body of the house. Even if they come from curiosity alone, 
there is reason for rejoicing that they are at last curious in this 
direction. It is well for them to turn aside from their usual 
occupations and hear the gospel preached. If many who are 
accustomed to follow their lead in other things imitate them in 
this, there will be a gain thereby. It is a good thing to have it 
fashionable for sinners to listen to straightforward earnest appeals 
to repent and be converted. 

The record of these meetings is given day by day in the daily 
papers. The words of the preacher are repeated by the press 
throughout the country, so that hundreds of thousands have the 
gospel preached to them morning and evening from one week's 
end to another, through this agency alone. Editorial comments 
in the secular papers on this theme are frequent and pointed. 
Indeed, both Christians and the unconverted have been wisely 
counseled and cautioned by many a secular paper " leader." 
This in addition to all that the religious papers have to say on 
the same important subject ; and it can hardly be doubted that 
the tone of the religious press as a whole has been elevated and 
bettered through the influences of which these meetings are an 
outgrowth. It can safely be asserted that never before was so 
much prominence given by the secular press of the United States 
to religious matters and to the direct presentation of Christian 
truth. The revival of 1858 bore no comparison with the present 
revival in this particular. 

In the churches of Philadelphia there is more than a common 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 337 

interest in Christ and his salvation. This is true almost without 
exception, even if in any instance the pastor himself fails as yet 
to perceive it ; for the churches are not so shut out from the pre- 
vailing current of popular feeling that they can be excluded from 
an influence as general as that which now pervades this com- 
munity. Those pastors who participate most heartily in the 
special revival meetings naturally share most richly in the 
attendant blessings \ yet all have new opportunities of hopeful 
work in their fields of church labor. If there is no considerable 
gain in any of these churches, it will not be because there is no 
special interest in religious things in that church and in the com- 
munity about it. On all sides unsaved men and women are unusu- 
ally ready to be conversed with, prayed for, taken by the hand and 
led to a waiting Saviour. All who make the experiment of intro- 
ducing the subject of personal religion, in conversation with those 
whom they meet in business or in social intercourse, find signs of 
this peculiar readiness — one of the most hopeful signs in any 
season of revival. 

These results are in themselves great results. If they are to 
be counted unimportant, then may also the ordinary preaching of 
the gospel in our sanctuaries, and the attendance thereat of 
Christians and of unconverted hearers, be looked at as of little 
worth, because so few new converts are made each week, so little 
progress is marked in Christian attainment, and so many days of 
attention to the world and its interests follow each day of pausing 
to consider the things of God. The beginning is good. " The 
end is not yet." How much more is to come out of this revival 
work cannot now be known. Up to this time there is every rea- 
son to rejoice in what God is accomplishing through this agency. 

A weighty responsibility rests now in the churches, and on all 
Christian workers in this city, and elsewhere as widely as the 
knowledge of these revival meetings extends. God is doing great 
things before us all. He has called the attention of the com- 
munity to the theme of personal religion. Multitudes who were 
thoughtless on this subject a little time ago are now thinking 
about it earnestly. They are easy of approach. They would like 
*5 



3$S MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

to be talked with. They are not yet ready to go to any pastor's 
study and ask the way of salvation ; not yet, perhaps, to go into 
the inquiry-rooms at the Depot Church. But they are thinking 
of themselves as sinners in need of a Saviour, and the one thing 
lacking to turn their steps thitherward may be a word from a 
Christian believer of their acquaintance. If this harvest time 
passes and they are still unsaved, others than Mr. Moody and his 
immediate co-workers in the present series of meetings will have 
a share in the blame. Systematic, earnest, untiring work on the 
part of Christians far and near, in the line of direct, personal vis- 
itation and appeal, to induce those who are now without a trust 
in Christ as their Saviour to come to Him in penitence and faith, 
is the urgent demand of the hour. " Son of man, I have made 
thee a watchman unto the house of Israel ; therefore hear the 
word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I 
say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest him 
not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked 
way, to save his life ; the same wicked man shall die in his in- 
iquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." 

Mr. Moody says truly, that the test of a revival is the prominence 
it gives to Bible study, the power it has in turning men to the exam- 
ination of God's Word, that they may learn therefrom of their 
danger, their need, their duties, their encouragements, their 
helps, and their hopes. From the days of Nehemiah down to 
the present time, every true revival' of pure religion has shown 
itself in a new interest in God's law and testimonies on the part 
of leaders and people. 

Hence it is that the present great revival is a blessed and hope- 
ful revival ; for it secures a prominence to God's Word beyond 
anything which has been known since " all the people " of the 
Jewish nation "gathered themselves together as one man into 
the street," to hear and study "the book of the law of God," 
" day by day, from the first day unto the last clay " of the pro- 
tracted meeting which followed their return from captivity. 

Never in the best days of olden time was there anything like 
the present interest in Bible-study, in the home, in the Sunday- 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 339 

school, in the social religious meeting. More people are study 
ing the Bible than ever before. A larger proportion of all the 
people are engaged in this study. The study is more systematic, 
more intelligent, more thorough, and more fruitful than at any 
former time. This interest in Bible-study is not by any means 
exclusively a result of the meetings led by Mr. Moody. It is a 
result of the work of God in which the Moody meetings are a sin- 
gle element, and of which they are an evidence rather than a 
cause. But Mr. Moody works in the line of God's providence 
in this particular. He values Bible-study. He urges it on all. 
He leads many to it. Through his labors and appeal Bible- 
study increases, and its methods improve. 

It was a remarkable and a most gratifying fact, that at the early 
morning meeting last Sunday, at the Depot Church, on a dark, 
damp, chilly day, from six to eight thousand persons came 
together expressly to be told how to study the Bible to best 
advantage. Mr. Moody said that he counted it the most encour- 
aging meeting he had ever attended in America. If he had been 
told five years ago that that number of persons would come 
together for such a purpose, on such a day, in the city of Phila- 
delphia, he would have sakl that the man was crazy who sug- 
gested it. A very large proportion of all present at that meeting 
had their Bibles, and used them freely, and very many in the audi- 
1 ence were taking notes freely, as Mr. Moody told of the methods 
he valued in the effort to search out, and to profit by, the truths 
1 of the Bible. It was pleasant to hear that building " rustle wi' 
1 religion,'' as the thousands of Bible leaves were turned together 
at the leader's call. 

If Mr. Moody's work in Philadelphia had no other result than 
the bringing of disciples, old and new, to the more intelligent 
and systematic study of the Bible, it would prove a rich blessing 
to the entire community. The entrance of God's words giveth 
light ; it giveth understanding to the simple. God's words are 
able to make wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus. The believer is to be sanctified by God's truth. God's 
Word is truth. 



34© MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

How to Use your Bible. 

I have been wonderfully cheered, said Mr. 'Moody, in going to 
the young men's meeting, to hear so much scripture quoted. 
Any revival that don't bring people to their Bible is a sham, and 
will last only for a few weeks ; but if the people are brought to 
love the Word of God, there will be a revival that will last 365 
days in the year. 

In Nehemiah viii. 2, we read that Ezra, the priest, brought the 
law before the congregation both of men and women in the street, 
and he read therein from morning until midday; and in the 
eighth verse, it is said, " they read in the book in the law of God 
distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand 
the reading." I can imagine the priest reading the passage 
over twenty times until the people understood it. Bible Chris- 
tians are all the time rejoicing in the Lord, for the Lord is their 
strength, but the people who neglect their Bibles are in a back- 
sliding state. 

Mr. Moody quoted Jeremiah xx. 9, to show that Christian men 
are constrained to open their lips and speak for the Lord. He 
said : If the Holy Ghost is our Teacher, we will understand the 
Word of God. The best thing to interpret the Bible is the Bible 
itself. 

There are three books every Christian ought to have. The 
Bible, Cruden's Concordance, and the " Bible Text-Book," pub- 
lished by the Tract Society. 

Newspapers only tell you what has taken place ; this book tells 
you what is going to take place. Take up one subject at a time. 
Take up " love," and spend a month upon it. Take a concordance 
and go through the Bible with it upon this subject, and then you 
will be full of love, and there will be no room for malice and 
hatred in your heart. After that take up " faith ; " it is better to 
go to the Word of God and get faith than to pray for it. Then 
take up "blood;" it shows the way to heaven. Now take up 
"heaven," and spend months upon it. Then "prayer." We 
do not know how to pray as we ought to. Nine-tenths of us read 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 341 

the Bible just to ease our conscience. You do not get the whole 
Bible by reading it in that way. In family worship people often 
put a mark in their Bible to know where they left off. I hoed 
corn when a boy, and I used to put down a stick to know where 
I left off; so it is with reading the Bible. The only way for us 
to study the Bible is to take up one subject and try to master that 
subject. A man said to me, " Can you recommend the best Life 
of Christ ? " I said I could recommend four — Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and John. A man had better spend a year over these four 
Gospels than to run over the whole Bible. If a man studies Gen- 
esis he has a key to the whole Bible. It is the beginning of 
everything, and then the other parts of the Bible will unfold 
themselves to us. Let us take the Bible up with some object in 
view — to get at some truth. In California the best gold is found 
at the greatest depth ; and so with the Word of God, the best 
part is deepest. Here is some law document ; it is uninteresting. 
Now suppose it is the will of some man, giving you a great inher- 
itance, you will become interested. This Book tells me of this 
inheritance. What can the geologist tell you about the Rock of 
Ages ? He can tell you about the rocks of this world. What 
does the astronomer know about the bright and morning star? 
He can tell you about other stars. God did not tell Joshua how 
to use the sword and fight in the promised land, but he told him 
to meditate upon the law day and night, and no one could stand 
before him. These words apply to every one here. This sword 
cuts right and left, and with it a man can cut his enemies right 
up to the throne of God. 

A man filled with the Spirit dwells much with the Scripture. Pe- 
ter quoted Scripture at the day of Pentecost, when he was full of 
the Holy Ghost. This is the sword of the Spirit. What is a man 
good for if he has no weapon ? We don't know how to use this 
sword; we should get into the habit of using it. David says : 
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart." . A good thing in a good 
place for a good purpose. If you lose your health, you lie upon 
your bed and feed upon the Word of God. 

When you meet together to dine it is better to bring out the 



342 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Bible than to bring on wine. I was glad in England at seeing 
that done in a great many of the houses of the upper classes. An 
Englishman said to me, " Moody, did you ever study the life of 
Job ? " I said, " No, I never did." He said, " If you get a key 
to Job you get a key to the whole Bible." " What has Job to do 
with the Bible?" He said: " I will tell you. I will divide the 
subject into seven heads. First, Job, before he was tried, was a 
perfect man untried. He was like Adam in Eden until Satan 
came in. Second, he was tried by adversity. Third, the wisdom 
of the world is represented by Job's friends trying to restore him. 
See what language they used. They were wonderful wise men, 
but they could not help Job out of his difficulties. Men are mis- 
erable comforters when they do not understand the grace of God. 
Job could stand his scolding wife and his boils better than these 
men's arguments ; they made him worse instead of better. Fifth, 
God speaks, and Job humbles himself in the dust. God, before 
He saves a man, brings him down into the dust. He does not 
talk about how he has fed the hungry and clothed the naked, but 
he says, ' I am vile.' Seventh, God restores him, and the last 
end of Job was better than the first. So the last state of man is 
better than the first. It is better than the state of Adam, because 
Adam might have lived ten thousand years and then fallen; 
therefore it is better for us to be outside of Eden with Christ than 
that we should be in Eden without Him. God gave Job double 
as much wealth as he had before, but He only gave him ten chil- 
dren. He had ten before his calamity came upon him. That is 
worthy of notice. God would not admit that Job had lost any 
children. He gave him ten here and ten in heaven. 

We want the Word of God so hidden in our hearts that we will 
be constrained to speak of Him. Many flinty hearts and scoffers 
have come to the meetings, but before they left they have been 
converted to God. A man while in a saloon picked up a news- 
paper containing a report of one of the meetings, the first line of 
which was, " Where art thou ? " The man was struck with it, and 
said to himself, " I am not in the right place," and left. He came 
to the meetings and was converted, and is now, said the speaker, 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 343 

leading a Christian life. We must take the Bible without preju- 
dice, and not as Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, or Episco- 
palians. He advised all to have a Bible which they could call 
their own,' and to get the best that could be procured. It might 
be said that it cost too much money ; but so much the better, it 
would be valued all the more, and would stand usage longer. He 
had carried the Bible he now used to California and to Europe 
and back, and nothing would induce him to part with it. It had 
been a great comfort to him, and he had found much pleasure in 
it. It might be argued that the kind he recommended is too 
large for a man to put in his pocket. Then carry it under your 
arm ; you should always be willing to show your colors. In study- 
ing it, it would be well to have a copy of Cruden's Concordance 
and a Scriptural text-book. These three books make a very good 
library. There is no better book to study the Bible with than the 
Bible itself. It is the best news-book that there is. The news- 
paper only tells of the news of the day, while the Sacred Volume 
tells of what will take place. The Book should be taken up topic- 
ally ; that is, take " love " as a topic, and see how much the Bible 
has to say upon that subject. By that means you learn all about 
it, and can readily answer any question that may arise upon that 
subject. After that the word "blood" can be .taken up, in order 
to find out how often that word occurs in the blessed Book, and 
how it is used. So other topics might be studied, such as " Faith," 
" Heaven," " Charity," and very many others. By this means a 
very good knowledge will be obtained of the Bible. Those who 
do it in that manner will be surprised at the amount of informa- 
tion that they obtain and the interest they will take in it. The 
Book will become very precious to them, and they will never want 
to be without it. A man once asked the speaker what was the 
best life of Christ. He replied that he did not know. Matthew 
wrote a very good account, so did Mark and Luke, but the speaker 
liked John's account the best. Some people read the Bible as 
though they did it merely to ease their conscience. They take it 
up, perhaps, and read a chapter without reflection, and then lay 
it aside with a mark indicating where they left off, just as they 



344 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

would do with any other book. If you ever expect to understand 
the Word of God you must study it ; you must, as it were, dig 
and delve through it. A great many people carry the Bible in 
their hands instead of their hearts. The speaker then illustrated 
how the Book should be used. He said that if he were to go and 
hear Dr. Newton preach a sermon he would turn to his Bible, ' 
which he always carries with him, and on the margin mark down 
some of the heads of the discourse, with the date, and five years 
after these heads would freshen his mind upon the sermon. He 
said that every one in studying the Bible should make notes on 
the margin of any matter bearing upon particular passages. It 
impresses the subject upon the mind, and in after years, if the 
necessity occur for a recurrence to it, an explanation can be given 
at once. The speaker gave some further illustrations showing how 
he had impressed sermons upon his mind at the time of their de- 
livery by making notes upon the margin of the leaves of his Bible, 
and how he had studied up the subject. 

In connection with these valuable instructions, as to how to 
study God's Word, the following letter from Mr. Moody to " the 
recent converts in Great Britain" will have an interest to many 
in this country ; not only to " recent converts," but to some who 
have long been counted as believers. 

Dear Christian Friends : Since returning to America, in 
response to my invitation, I have received precious communica- 
tions from many of you. Were it possible, I would gladly reply 
to each ; but, as I have not opportunity for this, I shall avail 
myself of the columns of The Christian to send to you all a few 
words of greeting. 

I praise God continually for what he has done for you in saving 
your souls through the blood of Jesus Christ his Son. You are 
much on my heart, and in my prayers. But most glad am I to 
know, that when I cease to remember, Jesus himself hears 
each one of you in continual remembrance before his Father. 
You are graven upon the palms of his hands (Isa. xlix. 16), and 
written upon the heart of his affections (Ex. xxviii. 29) ; and of 









THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 345 

you he has said, "My sheep shall never perish, neither shall 
any man pluck them out of my hand " (John x. 28), 

You have taken the Lord Jesus for your Redeemer, and it has 
become eternal salvation unto you. Now, Jesus is something 
more to you. He has become your High-Priest. His great 
business in heaven to-day is to represent you — your needs, your 
infirmities, and your trials. I want you to know this very fully ; 
for no other truth can give you more daily comfort, or more 
firmly establish you in a constant holy walk. Having died to 
save you, Jesus lives to keep you. At the cross he washed you 
from the condemnation of sin ; at the mercy-seat he will cleanse 
you from daily defilement. 

Some of you have written me how old besetting sins are annoy- 
ing you. Take them straight to Jesus. Don't rely too much on 
yourselves in overcoming them ; don't follow human advice too 
much, or copy the example of other people too much in gaining 
the victory. Spare yourselves this weariness. Cast it all 
before your blessed Advocate, and let him bear you and your 
burdens too. 

And do not, above all, forsake your Bibles. You can never 
separate Jesus the Word made flesh from the written Word. He 
who proclaimed himself the Way, declared also that he was the 
Truth. Pack your memory full of passages of Scripture, with 
which to meet Satan when he comes to tempt or accuse you ; and 
be not content to simply know, but strive to obey the Word of God. 
Never think that Jesus has commanded a trifle, nor dare to trifle 
with anything he has commanded. 

I exhort the young men to be sober. Exercise yourselves unto 
godliness ; run the race according to Paul's motto, " Looking 
off unto Jesus "; draw your inspiration and power directly from 
himself. 

I exhort the young women to great moderation. Your sphere 
of testimony may not be public; your place of usefulness may* 
not be large ; in your own homes " adorn the doctrine of God 
your Saviour." Keep one little thought in mind — ■" I have none 
but Jesus to please.*" And so make your dress as simple as you 



34-6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

know will please your Lord ; make your deportment as modest as 
you know will commend itself to him. 

And for you all, " among whom we have gone laboring," our 
prayer is, " That your love may abound yet more and more in 
knowledge and in all judgment ; that ye may approve things 
that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere, and without offence, 
till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, 
which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God " 
(Phil. i. 9, 10, n). Mr. Sankey joins me in Christian love. 

Your brother in Christ, D. L. Moody. 

Brooklyn, November 12, 1875. 

Among the most effective presentations of truth made by the 
evangelist are the discourses on Noah. Mr. Moody preached 
from Genesis, chapter vii., verse 1 : " And the Lord said unto 
Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark." He said it 
was a loving invitation from a personal God. This communica- 
tion came to Noah, that God would destroy the world, that his 
Spirit would not always strive with man. This was one hundred 
and twenty years before the flood that he told Noah to build the 
ark. Grace always precedes judgment. You find that when 
Christ came into the world He came in grace, and then judgment 
followed. Mr. Moody's description of the entry of the animals 
into the ark was very touching. God shut the door of the ark. 
As in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the last days. He told 
an affecting incident of a mother who told Mr. Moody that he 
daughter wanted her to go into the inquiry-room. She went into 
the room with her daughter, and they were both blessed. He 
mentioned a young woman who was converted at Edinburgh, and 
was killed by an accident on a railroad. At the conclusion of the 
sermon some five hundred rose for prayers. This was one of the 
most solemn meetings ever held. 

In his second sermon he said : Some persons say that they d 
not believe that there was a flood, and others say that they be 
lieve in the New Testament, but cannot accept the Old Testa- 
ment. It won't do to reject any portion ; for if you do, you will 



i 

d 
e 

; 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 347 

have to reject it entirely. The speaker said that he firmly be- 
lieved that there was a flood, and there is abundant testimony to 
prove it. He was not present to defend the Bible, for it defends 
itself. He had a message to deliver, and he would do it to the 
best of his ability. He then went on to describe the ark built by 
Noah, and said that the old man was ridiculed and made fun of, 
but he had faith in God and obeyed His commands. The speaker 
had been hooted at after leaving the meeting in the afternoon, 
but he did not care for it, for he knew that every man who stands 
up for Christ or endeavors to serve Him must expect to be 
jeered at and ridiculed. The people thought Noah mad ; but 
did you ever notice that the man who is mad thinks everybody 
else mad ? There are many who think that the men who serve 
the Lord and preach his word are mad. What about the man 
who deals out death and damnation, and robs his fellow-men of 
their brains and money, and robs their families of support ? Is 
that man who brings about so much wretchedness insane ? Oh ! 
no! no one calls him insane. The man who goes home and 
beats his wife and cruelly treats his children is not called mad. 
But the one who works for Christ and cares for his family is mad. 
The speaker then went on to describe the gathering together of 
every living thing in the ark, the closing of the door by God, and 
the great flood that followed, which lasted forty days and forty 
nights. This portion of the discourse was the same as that given 
in the afternoon. He said : Thank God the door of mercy is now 
open. He begged all who would be wise, while God is offering 
mercy, to step within the door ere it be too late and the door is 
closed. The speaker said the past year had been the best of his 
life, and he has prayed that the last Sunday of the year would be 
the best that he has yet experienced by the conversion of hundreds 
and thousands of souls. When God shuts the door it will be too 
late — the day of grace will have passed. The last day and 
the last hour is coming, and don't you think of it ? Oh ! it 
may be that you will never again have the opportunity of 
coming to Christ. The time is coming again when God will 
judge the world. It will be consumed, as the Lord has said, by 



348 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

fire. " Come thou and all thy family into the ark." You may 
go away from the hall and laugh at and scorn Christ. Oh ! but 
you may be called away without being able to see Him. Come to 
Him, now that He is offered, or you may never again receive the 
message. In 1857 there was a great revival, and all over the 
country people were flocking into the churches. There were men 
who then tried to write it down, but it was of no avail. The 
same effort is being made to write it down now, but they are not 
able to do so, because it is God's work. Oh, men ! come into the 
ark while the invitation is yet being made. He then related an 
incident of a young lady who attended the meeting without any 
concern for herself, but before the service was over she said she 
would be in the ark before the afternoon was over. The young 
lady went to the inquiry-room and there sought Jesus. He then 
related another incident of a mother and daughter who attended 
one of the meetings last Monday night. The latter was a con- 
vert, but the other was not. He noticed them, and talked to the 
mother. Afterward he observed the two in close conversation, 
and, on going up to her, she said that she had not been induced 
to come to Christ by anything he had said, but through what her 
daughter had told her. He inquired how many fathers present 
were out of the ark. " Oh ! " said he, " don't stand in the way 
of your children ; come in and bring your whole family, before 
the door is closed." He then referred to a man who, on being 
converted, told how he had treated his mother; that while she 
was praying for him, he left home because he could not stand it. 
Finally he heard that his mother was sick, and he thought that 
he would go home, but he again thought that if he did, he would 
have to become a Christian to live under the same roof, and he 
decided not to go. Subsequently he heard that she was .very 
sick, and he started for home, and on reaching there he found 
that his mother was dead. He then visited her grave, and he 
cried to God for help. He was thus left without father and mo- 
ther, and he then cried to God for help and found Christ. The 
man told his hearers in Chicago that he would give all in the 
world to have his mother and father back, and he besought 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 349 

those who had mothers not to treat them unkindly. Said Mr. 
Moody, "Won't you now come in the ark and be saved, for the 
door may be closed when it is too late for you ? " An invitation 
was then extended to all who desired prayers to stand up. A 
large number of men responded to the request. 

Ex-Mayor Story of Boston then most fervently prayed in be- 
half of those who had risen. 

So clear and unmistakable is the plan of salvation presented that 
the most illiterate can readily understand it. There is no chance 
for the slightest excuse ; no one can plead ignorance after hear- 
ing the warning words of the evangelists, or say that the oppor- 
tunity was not offered them of coming to the Saviour. Some of 
the most remarkable instances of conversion have taken place, 
and many who attended the meetings with no thought of becom- 
ing Christians have, under the preaching of Mr. Moody and the 
singing of Mr. Sankey, been induced to enter the inquiry-rooms 
and make an unconditional surrender of their hearts to the Mas- 
ter. Every day the number of converts is being largely in- 
creased, which shows conclusively that the power of the revivalists 
is not of themselves, but of Him who has called them to do his 
work. 

Old 1875 Shrouded with Prayer. — The Great Watch 
Meetings. 

No outside attractions of holiday week drew away from the 
meetings at the Depot Church. Indeed, at no time before was 
the attendance uniformly so large, day by day, and the seriousness 
of the hearers so general. The interest of the week culminated 
in the watch-meetings of Friday night. The building was packed 
to overflowing, and crowds outside vainly sought admission. 
There were three meetings during the evening, one beginning at 
nine, one at ten, and one at eleven o'clock. Mr. Moody preached 
earnestly at each service. 

" Should any people faint," said Mr. Moody, " I hope the ushers 
will carry them right out, and don't let me see three or four thou- 




35° MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

sand people straining their necks just because some one has 
swooned away." After a general chorus of the hymn, " Rejoice 
and be glad," Mr. Moody read the thirteenth chapter of the First 
Corinthians. "Grant, O God," prayed Mr. Moody, "that if 
there be any here who have made resolutions to do better during 
the coming year than they did in the blessed year that is clos- 
ing, that their resolves may be taken away from them, and cause 
them instead to put their trust in Thee." "For the last time 
in this old year," said Mr. Sankey, " I will sing you the Ninety 
and Nine. Let us ask a blessing upon its singing." The popu- 
lar hymn was well rendered, and the evangelist smiled a heavenly 
smile of satisfaction. "A man cannot serve two masters," said 
Mr. Mood)-. " I couldn't belong to the Democrats and to the 
Republicans at the same time. You remember the border men 
in the late war when our army got among them. Oh ! they were 
all Union men, red-hot ; and when the Confederates came, then 
they were all Southerners, and the result was that both parties 
hated and plundered them. None of you, except infidels, would 
say that you wouldn't want to become Christians some time. 
Why not decide to-night, in the closing moments of the old year ? 
All the good men named in the Bible were men of decision, and 
the others, Pilate, Agrippa, and the rest, wavering — ' almost per- 
suaded.' When Egypt was so troubled with frogs that the king 
couldn't stand it any longer — it was frogs, frogs, nothing but frogs 
everywhere ; he couldn't move his foot without treading on a 
frog — he called Moses, and says he: ' Moses, I want you to get 
rid of these frogs for me.' Moses says : ' When ? ' ' Why — a — 
a — to-morrow,' says the king. He had no decision, and wanted 
to keep the frogs for another night. You must come down with 
the ' I will ! ' If there's no God to punish sin — if there's no here- 
after, let's turn our churches into theatres; if the Bible is a tissue 
of lies, let's build monuments to Voltaire and Payne ; if there's no 
hell, ' let's eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we die.' I 
believe that the hand of God is upon this nation, and that things 
are going to be worse if there's not more repentance. I know 
what keeps men from deciding ; it's some darling sin. ' I like to 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 35 I 

play cards and I can't give it up / ' I love my rum-bottle — oh, my 
darling rum-bottle, how can I part with you ! ' Sinner, this may 
be your last chance to decide. Oh, for Christ's sake — for your 
own sake — trust, believe ! throw yourself into the arms of the 
Saviour, who alone can bless you with a Happy New Year." 

Ten o'clock was announced, the first service closed, and sev- 
eral thousand departed, their seats being taken by new-comers. 
At eleven o'clock occurred a repetition of this egress and ingress, 
and the last portion of the watch began. 

A little after ten o'clock, Mr. Moody called the Rev. Dr. 
Plumer, an aged minister, to what he called the " witness-stand," 
and interrogated him as to his Christian experience. It was a 
novel way of doing things. Mr. Moody asked questions as if 
doubting the Word which he so often preaches, and the vener- 
able doctor answered. The following is Mr. Moody's own 
account of this original episode : 

In response to a request for an account of the watch-night 
inquiry-meeting, when the Rev. Dr. Plumer was questioned by 
me as to the great truths of salvation, I give the questions and 
answers, as I recall them, aided by notes taken by others at the 
time: 

Dr. Plumer. — I wish to give a year-text to this assembly. It 
is from the 73d Psalm : " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And 
there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." 

Mr. Moody. — Dr. Plumer, we speak of the duty of "convic- 
tion." What is conviction ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Conviction is a clear persuasion that a thing 
is true. Religious conviction is a clear, settled persuasion of 
five things. First. That I am ignorant, and need instruction. 
Second. That I am guilty, and deserve wrath and not pardon. 
Third. That my heart is vile, and must be renewed. Fourth. 
That my condition is miserable ; I am " wretched, and miser- 
able, and poor." Fifth. That I am helpless ; I am without 
strength; I cannot save myself; I cannot think a good thought 
without divine grace. 

Mr. Moody.— -What is the use of conviction ? 



352 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Dr. Plumer. — The use of conviction is not to punish a man 
for his sins; nor is it to make him any better. The devils in hell 
have been under an awful conviction for a long time, and not one 
of them is any better. The sole object of conviction is to light 
up the soul to the faith of Jesus. The sole object of conviction 
is to bring the sinner to accept salvation by atoning blood. 

Mr. Moody. — Is any given amount of distress necessary to 
genuine conversion? 

Dr. Plumer. — Lydia had no distress — we read of none. God 
opened her heart, and she attended to the things spoken by Paul ; 
but the jailer of Philippi would not have accepted Christ without 
some alarm, If you will accept the Son of God, you need have 
no trouble ; there is nothing in trouble that sanctifies the soul. 

Mr. Moody. — Well, Doctor, what is conversion ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Glory be to God, there is such a thing as con- 
version! If -there was not, everlasting chains and darkness 
would be our doom. To be converted is to turn from self, self- 
will, self-righteousness, all self-confidence, and from sin itself, and 
to be turned to Christ. The turning-point in a man's conversion 
is his acceptance of Jesus Christ ; that he closes in with Christ 
and gives him all his confidence. 

Mr. Moody. — Why must a sinner come to Christ for salvation ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Because Jesus Christ is the only Saviour. All 
the angels in heaven and all the saints in heaven and earth cannot 
save one sinner. He must come to the Saviour. I will tell you 
why. Here are quintillions of tons of atmospheric air, why does 
not that support life without your respiring? You must breathe 
it, or you die. For the same reason you must make Christ yours, 
or you perish, notwithstanding what he has done. The sight of a 
river will never quench thirst, and the sight of food will never 
satisfy hunger. You must come to Christ and make his salva- 
tion yours. 

Mr. Moody. — Can a man be saved here to-night before 12 
o'clock — saved all at once ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Why not? In my Bible I read of three thou- 
sand men gathered together one morning — all of them murderers 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. $$$ 

— their hands stained with the blood of the Son of God. They 
met in the morning, and before night they were all baptized mem- 
bers of Christ. God added to . the church in those days such as 
should be saved. If you are ever saved there must be a moment 
when you accept Christ and renounce the world. 

Mr. Moody. — What is repentance ? 

Dr. Plumer. — It is turning to God with abhorrence of sin, 
and cleaving to Christ with promise of obedience. A man truly 
repents of his sins, who does not commit the sins he has repented 
of; therefore saving repentance always terminates in purity of 
life and reformation. A thorough change of heart is followed by 
a thorough change of character. 

Mr. Moody. — How can I know that I am saved ? 

Dr. Plumer. —The fact that God is true. " Let God be true, 
but every man a liar." If I accept Jesus Christ it is not Mr. 
Moody's word, nor Mr. Sankey's, nor Dr. Newton's; it is the 
Word of the living God whose name is Amen. " He that be- 
lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life." 

Mr. Moody. — What if I haven't got faith enough ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Glory be to God, if I can touch the hem of my 
Saviour's garment I shall be saved. A little faith is as truly faith 
as a great deal of faith. A little coal of fire in the ashes is as 
truly fire as the glowing heat of a furnace. Jesus says not, if 
you have great faith you will be saved, but " he that believeth 
shall be saved." Oh, come and trust him fully. Give him all 
your confidence, and if your faith is not as strong as it ought to 
be, cry, as did the disciples, " Lord, increase our faith." 

Mr. Moody. — But I don't know that I have the right kind of 
faith. 

Dr. Plumer.— Are you able to analyze your faith and say 
whether it is exactly of the right kind? The thief upon the cross 
did not say, if I had a little more faith I would ask you to remem- 
ber me when thou comest into thy kingdom. He offered his 
prayer with the faith he had and Christ accepted him. You 
must have faith in God through grace, and then your faith must 
have works, to be of the right kind. 



354 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Moody. — I don't feel that I love Christ enough. 
. Dr. Plumer. — And you never will. To all eternity you never 
will love him as much as he deserves to be loved. 

" Had I ten thousand thousand tongues, 
Not one should silent be ; 
Had I ten thousand thousand hearts, 
I'd give them all to thee." 

Mr. Moody. — When the temptation comes, it is so much 
stronger than my resolution that I yield. What shall I do ? 

Dr. Plumer. — Look to Jesus. He was in all points tempted 
like as we are, yet without sin. Christ can give us the strength 
of giants. Jesus is the best Master and the best Friend in the 
universe. Glory be to his name forever. 

The questions and answers are worthy of preservation. It 
would be indeed well if the scene, on the occasion of this con- 
ference between the two men of God, could be faithfully pic' 
tured to our readers. 

It was near midnight. The close of the year was at hand, 
The Depot Church was crowded. Twelve thousand persons sat 
listening intently to the words of the earnest evangelist. Mr. 
Moody had concluded a sermon from the text, " How long halt 
ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; but 
if Baal, then follow him." The appeal had come home with 
power to many who now longed for words of personal counsel, 
or who were burdened with anxious doubt. An ordinary inquiry- 
meeting, such as usually follows Mr. Moody's sermons, was not 
practicable then and there ; for the services in the main room 
were to continue until the new year opened. Said Mr. Moody : 
" You always show an interest in the inquiry-meetings. I often 
see some of you who are outside looking in at the doors to see 
what is going on in there. Some of you have been in there. 
Some of you would like to go there to-night; but we've no 
chance for such a meeting now. So I propose to turn this 
whole meeting into an inquiry meeting. Here is the Rev. Dr. 
Plumer, of South Carolina. He is seventy-four years old. He 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 355 

has been living on borrowed time for four years. For fifty-five 
years he has been sitting at the feet of Jesus. I'm going to put 
him on to the witness stand, and question him before you all. 
Dr. Plumer, will you take the pulpit ? " 

The venerable clergyman, with his commanding form and pa- 
triarchal presence, arose, and with tremulous movements took 
the stand before the vast congregation. He gave his Bible 
greeting from the seventy-third Psalm to the waiting hearers. 
Every word was spoken with distinctness and with deep feeling 
as if under a sense of weighty responsibility in thus witnessing 
for the Lord. It was a most impressive service. Many a soul 
present seemed to feel himself the questioner, and to listen as 
for his life to the answer. In that solemn hour it was as if God's 
prophecy for the latter days was fulfilled : " And I will give 
power unto my two witnesses." Their speech and their " preach- 
ing was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon- 
stration of the Spirit and of power." 

The Midnight Watch. 

At eleven o'clock the doors were again thrown open while the 
big audience sang " Oh for a thousand tongues to sing." This 
was the commencement of the watch-meeting proper — watching for 
the first stroke of the hour which marked the end of the old and 
the beginning of the new year. Though but a few more persons 
got in through the briefly opened doors, it was because those 
who had come to stay the meeting out held on to their seats, 
unwilling to give up an opportunity of once a year's happening. 
Another solemn hymn " A charge to keep I have," and one of a 
joyful character " The Lord of earth and sky," were sung, Mr. 
Sankey standing by the organ while Prof. Fisher played, beating 
time by gently clapping his hands, and the Rev. Dr. March, 
formerly of the Clinton Presbyterian, prayed. He entreated God 
that all the meditations of the night should draw the congrega- 
tion to a contemplation of their great blessing in Christ. The 
twenty-eighth hymn, " One more day's work for Jesus," was sung, 



356 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

the solo by Mr. Sankey and the chorus by the choir, Mr. Sankey 
substituting the word "year" for "day" and asked the choris- 
ters to do the same. The change fitted the hymn very well 
Mr. Moody then began his third sermon of the evening by the 
sudden utterance of the words " There are thirty-five minutes left 
for you to take Jesus." He resumed the theme " decision," which 
he had treated two hours before, taking for his text the words 
in Matthew, "What shall I then do with Jesus who is called 
Christ?" If Pilate, said the preacher, had decided to follow 
Christ he would have been walking with Peter, John and the 
disciples in heaven ; he would now be in the fold of Christ ; but 
he liked popularity, and he listened to the call of ambition, and 
he gave Jesus up to be crucified. Every one in the depot had 
to go out to-night with or without Jesus ; there was no more 
serious question to be settled in the last few minutes of the year. 
The Jews had said, Crucify Him ! crucify Him ! when the words 
of the text were asked of them. Would those present do the 
same. Let Christians in "these last minutes of 1875" lift up 
voices in prayer for the salvation of sinners. Mr. Moody pic- 
tured Pilate's supposed remorse on the morning after he had 
refused to save Christ from the cross. He followed the foot- 
steps of Judas — this man Pilate, who would be popular with 
Caesar — and put an end to his life. The man of pleasure and 
the woman of the world were then exhorted to come to Jesus. 
" How about you blasphemers who have come in here to-night ? 
What are you going to do ? Many are here to-night who have 
made resolutions to commence the new year with, but they can do 
nothing without Jesus." At 15 minutes to 12 Mr. Moody asked 
that all join in a silent prayer. Heads were bowed all over the 
building, and silence reigned, Mr. Sankey breaking it by playing 
the soft strains of " Almost persuaded," which he sang, or rather 
recited, in a broken voice. Mr. Moody asked those Christians 
to arise who wished other Christians to pray for them. Almost 
the entire audience rose to their feet. Then the unconverted 
were invited to stand up and ask Christians for their prayer. 
Rev. Mr. Johns led in prayer, remembering both classes — the 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 357 

converted in need of help and the unconverted in need of a 
Saviour. Dr. Newton, after this, recited the Lord's prayer, and 
all the congregation followed. The doxology, " Praise God, from 
whom all blessings flow," was sung, and Mr. Moody said that 
there were about four minutes of the old year left, which he 
wanted spent in silent prayer. It was an awful solemn foui 
minutes. It was so silent inside that the sudden clang of the 
bells and shriek of the whistles on the stroke of twelve on all 
sides of the building broke with startling distinctness on the 
ear. A few words of prayer were uttered in the meanwhile by 
Messrs. Moody, Sankey and George H. Stuart, the multitude 
still bowing their heads. The benediction was impressively pro- 
nounced by Rev. Dr. Plumer, and Mr. Moody, wishing all a 
" Happy New Year," closed the meeting. 

Dr. Plumer said, "I wish you all a Happy Eternity," and with 
this solemn greeting the vast multitude passed out. 

The Mid-Day Service. 

At the noon service, which was specially for the reclamation 
of inebriates, more than a hundred requests for prayer were re aH 
for unfortunates of all ages and sexes of that class. Mr. Moody's 
text was, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth." 
He told of a man who, in his drunken moments, came into one 
of these meetings, declaring : " John Wannamaker's catchpenny 
won't have any effect on me." But the question, "Where art 
thou?" so affected that drunkard that he was led to the Saviour. 
Dr. Plumer, president of Columbia College, exhorted the peo- 
ple, saying : " Oh, believe ! Be saved ! Come, ye opium-eaters 
and smokers, ye drunkards and ye chloral drinkers, come all and 
be saved ! " 

The hymn " Sowing the Seed " was announced. Mr. Sankey 
said, Before we sing this song I will tell you one reason why we 
should sing these hymns, and that is, God is blessing them to 
many a poor wanderer who comes to this building night after 
night. Last week a man who had once occupied a high position 



358 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

in life came into this hall and sat down. While I was singing this 
hymn he took out his pass-book and wrote down these words : 

" Sowing the seed of a lingering pain, 
Sowing the seed of a maddened brain, 
Sowing the seed of a tarnished name, 
Sowing the seed of eternal shame, 
Oh, what shall the harvest be?" 

Last night that man in the inquiry-room went on his knees and 
asked God to break the chain that had dragged him down from 
such a high position to the lowest of the low. He said he had 
resolved when he went out of that praise-meeting that he would 
cease to indulge in the intoxicating cup, but before he reached 
home he went into a saloon and broke his resolution. We prayed 
for him last night. He is now praying that God may break his 
chain. I want you to pray that this brand may be plucked from 
the burning, and that God may use these Gospel hymns to turn 
the hearts of sinful men. 

Rev. Dr. Cuyler, of Brooklyn, said the question was asked : 
"Are there any permanent results following the labors of these 
two brothers, Moody and Sankey, in the only two cities they have 
visited in this country?" We had no substantial results in 
Brooklyn until the froth of novelty had blown away. In Phila- 
delphia the froth of novelty has now blown away, and you have 
got to the blessed work. Every church in Brooklyn that followed 
up the labors of Moody and Sankey with personal effort is to-day 
in the midst of a greater or more limited revival of religion, and 
every case that has been followed up by an effort has been suc- 
ceeded by a permanent conversion. Our chief difficulty was from 
the self-indulgence of church-members who were greedy to get 
enjoyment for themselves and not pass it to a dying soul. Sab- 
bath-school teachers were quickened in their work, but the great- 
est results of the work have been in regard to young men. Two 
union prayer-meetings have grown out of the work — one in Brook- 
lyn and the other in New York. God has blessed the labors of 
these brothers in reaching that class of men who are addicted to 
strong drink. The most significant example I have yet met with 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 359 

in Brooklyn is that of a man given up by everybody. That man 
was picked up in the mud before my church-door many a time, 
and he has stood before that church and damned it. He is now 
sitting at the feet of Jesus, humble and in his right mind. If God 
will save him, He will save any man in this city. 

Mr. Moody said he had received a note Sunday night, asking 
him if a person could come to the Saviour if he wanted to, or, in 
other words, has one power in himself to come ? To answer this 
he read from Matthew xi. 27, and from other portions of Scrip- 
ture. If a man wants to come, no power on earth or hell could 
hinder him ; but God will not receive any one who is not willing 
to give up his sins. 

The only sorrowful meeting of the week is the prayer-meeting 
for drunkards on Friday. The glimpse that is given in these 
meetings into many of the homes of the great city is an appalling 
one. Wives, sisters, daughters, send up a bitter cry for interces- 
sions in behalf of those who are walking in the sure way to death, 
and wrecking the happiness of others in the work of their own 
destruction. And darker still was the revelation when the re- 
quests for prayer mentioned wives, mothers> and daughters has- 
tening to a shameless end through strong drink. One note was 
in behalf of a wife in a home of wealth, of social position, the 
slave to strong drink, " whose husband would gladly give all his 
wealth for the restoration of his partner and their home." An- 
other for an only daughter given to the use of intoxicating liquors. 
The prayers in behalf of these cases are most urgent and beseech- 
ing, and it is a relief to these dark unveilings to know that some 
of the poor slaves of drink have been rescued from their bondage, 
and brought in humility and penitence to the feet of Christ. 

A Sunday-school Day at the Depot Church. 

Thursday, January 6, the noon-day service at the Depot 
Church was specially in the interest of the Sunday-schools. The 
platform was crowded, as was also the space in front of the sepa- 
rating curtain, which was finally lifted and a large number of per- 



360 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

sons occupied the space beyond. Mr. Moody conducted the 
services, which began by singing, under Mr. Sankey's leadership, 
the hymn beginning, " There is a land of pure delight." After 
reading a few verses from Matthew xviii., Mr. Moody said : 

We have been having such a tender time in these noon-day 
meetings for a few days back, that we want to keep on to-day in 
the same line. And so our topic is, " How to lead our children 
to Christ." 

Now my experience in the Sabbath-school has been something 
like this : that wherever I could find a teacher who was willing to 
work personally with the children, and get them to learn one by 
one, and talk with them, and pray with them, and pray for them ; 
and then, after they had succeeded — because that kind of work 
always succeeds — in bringing them to Christ, if they just nursed 
them, and fed them with the sincere milk of the Word — instructed 
them, and taught them how Christians ought to live, how Chris- 
tians ought to walk — that teacher has always been successful. I 
never knew such a teacher to fail. But those teachers who never 
speak to their scholars, except in the class and when they are all 
together, are ab t as successful as the ministers who never have 
any inquiry-meetings, and who always meet their people in the 
pulpit, and preach to them in a body. If we are to be successful 
in leading children to Christ it must be done personally. 

A friend of mine, who has been a teacher some time, said to 
me that he had never seen a soul converted. He had in his class 
five young ladies of position and influence in the town in which 
he lived. He had tried to teach them the Bible, and had talked 
to them about Christ, but had never spoken to them personally 
about their going to Christ. Some remarks were at length made 
to him about working personally with the children. He went 
home and thought over the matter, and the next Sunday he said 
to one of the five young ladies that he would like to see her and 
have a little talk with her after the school had broken up. The 
young lady stayed when the rest went out, and he then spoke to 
her personally about her soul's salvation ; told her how anxious 
he was for her conversion. The tears began to trickle down her 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 36 1 

cheeks, and he found that she was ready to be taught the way. 
The next time the others met that young lady they asked her 
what he wanted of her, and she told them. The next Sunday he 
asked another one to stay, and in five Sundays those five young 
ladies were led to Christ, and all of them have been successful 
teachers now for five years. Remember that this was done in five 
short weeks, by exhorting them personally, and praying for them. 

I remember once going out with two of my teachers' class, call- 
ing upon some scholars. We went into one house and met three 
young ladies who had grown up in our mission Sunday-school. 
They had been there from little childhood up. As I went out I 
said, " Now let us go to work and see if we can't win those three 
to Christ. You take Margaret, you take Sarah, and I will take 
Henrietta, and we will give them books, write to them, visit and 
pray for them — work personally with them." Within a month 
two of them have been led to Christ, and since I have been in 
Philadelphia a young man has come to me from Chicago and 
told me that Margaret has been converted. Prayer has prevailed, 
and those three have been saved, and two of them have been co- 
workers with me in the Sabbath-school for a long time. 

If teachers here will hold their classes next Sabbath with a 
determination, God helping them, that they will try to lead one 
soul to Christ, and pick out one member of their class and ear- 
nestly endeavor to work with that one member, you don't know 
what you may do for Christ. And if you can't see them on Sun- 
day, make a point of meeting them through the week, invite them 
to some of your meetings, and then pray to God to convert them. 

My friends, when you turn one of these little children to Christ, 
you don't know and you can't tell what God may do with them ; 
you don't know how they may be raised to be a great blessing to 
the honor of the Lord, or how they may hereafter turn hundreds 
and thousands to Christ. If we don't get into this personal work 
of dealing with souls I don't think we are going to be very suc- 
cessful. It is my experience, after having superintended schools 
for twelve or thirteen years, that the people who deal personally 

with the scholars make the successes. 
16 



362 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

And not only that. How very few mothers take their children 
off into a room, talk with them, pray with them, tell them the way 
to Christ ! I know if that were done we would have fewer re- 
quests here from mothers for drunken sons ; but the fact is that 
hundreds of mothers do not believe in the conversion of their 
little children, and the result is that soon those children wander 
into billiard-halls and drinking-saloons, and at twenty many of 
them have become confirmed drunkards, and then, and then only, 
the mothers begin to wake up and cry to God that He must save 
their sons. We ought to commence earlier. 

In Cincinnati, at a Sunday-school meeting, the little children 
were repeating verses, and one of them, a little child only four 
years of age, got up. She was so small she had to be put up on 
a seat. She got scared at the people, and was afraid to repeat 
the verses her mother had been teaching her through the week — 
" Suffer little children." With trembling lip and heart, she said, 
" Suffer little children," and then broke down. She commenced 
again, " Suffer little children to come," and broke down the sec- 
ond time. She attempted it the third time, " Suffer little chil- 
dren to come, and don't any of you stop them from one and all to 
come" She had got the meaning of the phrase. She could not 
have given a better one. 

Don't any of you stop them, for God wants them all to come, 
and it is this miserable unbelief in the church that is keeping 
back the children. How many could be brought to Christ in the 
morning of their days if we labored for their salvation as we 
should. God help us to be wise while we have our children with 
us young— their hearts tender. Let us pray to make an impres- 
sion on them for eternity, that they may go to Christ in the morn- 
ing of their day. 

Mr. Sankey said many a parent and many a teacher, it is to be 
feared, as the result of all his earthly career, will at last be able 
to say nothing better than that he has gathered "nothing but 
leaves." Pardon me, then, while I sing that hymn, and let each 
one pray that his harvesting will be far better. 

After singing, the Rev. H. C. McCook spoke as follows : Faith 



i 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. $6$ 

is natural to a child. There is scarcely anything that a child does 
not receive by faith. In the family circle, when he comes to 
learn the first principles of right and wrong, he has nothing for it 
but the word of the father, " This is right, my child," or the word 
of the mother, " This is wrong, my child ; you must do this ; you 
must not do that," and the child believes. You scarcely ever 
find a doubter among children. Now, God has already prepared 
the children for this. When you come before them persuaded 
that the child can be led to Christ — as Brother Moody has said — 
persuaded that the Word of God which you teach is able to make 
the child wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ — when 
you sit down before that little immortal, God has made the whole 
way, so far as his natural disposition is concerned, perfectly plain 
and easy for you. 

Now, what are you to do ? You do not need to stop and 
explain what faith is, or what regeneration is, or to enter into any 
other of these questions about religious doctrines and life, but the 
great thing is to hold up the object of faith. If you can put 
Christ's creed before the child, showing what Jesus is to the child 
and to all the world, in all his lovely attributes, the child will fol- 
low you, and the Holy Spirit will bring that child to embrace 
Christ by faith. 

Now, then, point to God as the Father of the child in Jesus 
Christ. Let him be taught to believe through all his days that 
this heavenly Father is his own father — his Father in heaven — 
and that he may go to him for every blessing. Several years ago 
I was playing with my own little girl and a companion who had 
come to the house, when the children were both very small. 
They were leaping down from the stairway, and as I stood below, 
my little child said, " Papa, let me jump into your arms." " Very 
well," I said, "go up a step or two higher," and I reached out 
my arms. The little one stepped up and then sprung down the 
steps without any hesitation, and I caught her safely. " Now," 
said I, " Gracie, you try it," and little Gracie went up a step or 
two lower and stood as though she was going to make the jump, 
but she didn't do it. Once, twice, several times, she tried to 



364 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

make the jump and couldn't do it, and I had to reach up and 
lift her down in my arms. Now, what was the difference ? 
How can you account for the difference in those two children ? 
Why, my own little girl had the spirit of a child in her. I was 
her father, and so with an unquestioning faith she leaped right 
down stairs, knowing that I would catch her. But the other 
child was not of my family. She was only in there as a playmate 
for a season, and when she came to attempt to repeat the action 
her little heart failed her, because she didn't see her father down 
below with outstretched arms. 

Rev. C. A. Dickey, D.D., next addressed the meeting. He 
said : God has laid on me many responsibilities, under which I 
tremble, but there is none that I carry like my two children, 
because I feel that for those I am wholly responsible before God. 
I believe that in regard to every other soul on God's earth some- 
body must share the responsibility with me — some other father or 
some other mother must divide it with me — but before God I feel 
that for two souls I am wholly responsible. And I say that 
nothing bears upon me like the weight that God has put upon me 
for those two little children. And if I have one word to say to 
you, knowing that most of you are parents here to-day, it is this 
one thought, that the responsibility is yours and not the child's. 
I therefore wish that this question had been otherwise presented. 
Instead of how to bring the children to Christ, we ought to be 
considering on our knees how we are liable to hinder the chil- 
dren from coming to Christ, for I believe that there is nothing 
which can possibly interpret the promise of God and the precepts 
of God but this thought, that so far as God and his plans of 
mercy are concerned they embrace the children, and God is 
exhausting everything to save them all, even those who are hin- 
dered by others. It is to me the most humiliating thing that falls 
from the Word of God that the disciples are presented in the 
most beautiful picture of God's work as the obstacles in the way 
of the children. There is no picture that God has painted upon 
the Word so beautiful as that where Christ beseechingly says, 
"Suffer, them to come." And I say that the dark line on that 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



365 



bright picture is the fact that the disciples must be rebuked and 
be gotten out of the way before Christ can be gratified in the 
possession of the children. It is not said, " Suffer little children 
to be brought unto me," but " suffer them to come," as though 
the little ones were themselves eager to come ; as though their 
hearts were full of the desire to come ; as though they, by the 
plans and purposes of God, could come ; as though everything 
that was essential was provided but one thing, and that was the 
removal of the obstacle, the taking away of the hindrance. 
" Suffer them to come." " I am ready," says Jesus. The chil- 
dren are ready. The trouble is that something is in the way, 
somebody is violating some pledge, somebody is violating some 
promise, somebody has thrown himself in the way of the child, 
and it is prevented from coming to me. 

Rev. Dr. J. Wheaton Smith, of the Beth-Eden Baptist Church, 
related an interesting incident. He said that they organized 
some years ago a mission on South street, and among the scholars 
was a little boy who was a rider in Dan Rice's circus, and whose 
mother kept a peanut stand at the Arch-street Theatre. The 
little boy was a great trouble in the school, and none of the male 
teachers could do anything with him. Finally a lady said she 
would take the boy, and soon after he noticed the little fellow 
looking earnestly into his teacher's face, and intently listening 
to her. Through her he was led to the Saviour. He finally left 
the school, and some time after they heard that he was a drum- 
mer-boy in the Union army, and was mortally wounded. He 
sent a letter to his old teacher, full of* love, thanking her for 
leading his soul to Zion. Some persons say that they are not 
sufficiently educated for teachers, but, said the speaker, all that 
is required is to have the love of Christ in our hearts, and He 
will do the rest. 

Mr. Moody gave his experience. He said where he found a 
teacher willing to work personally with the children- get them 
alone one by one and talk with them, and pray with and for them, 
teaching them how a Christian ought to live and walk — that 
teacher has always been successful. Teachers that never speak 






366 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

to their scholars only in the class are about as successful as 
preachers who never have any inquiry-meetings. If we are going 
to be successful in leading children to Christ it must be by per- 
sonal teaching. Mr. Moody related several instances of the 
successful result of personal teaching, both by Sunday-school 
teachers and mothers with their children. If mothers would 
take their children alone in a room and teach them, there would 
not be so many requests by mothers for us to pray for sons who 
are drunkards. 

The Rev. Dr. E. P. Rogers said : I want to give a single illus- 
tration of what my friend Mr. Moody said in his opening address. 
One fact is worth a thousand arguments. He said we didn't 
know what our children might be the instruments of accomplish- 
ing in God's hands if they were early converted. I want to state 
one single fact to him and to you. The scene occurred about 
twenty-five years ago, and I shall never forget. One beautiful 
Sunday morning word came to me that a little girl, six years old, 
a member of my Sunday-school, was lying on her dying bed. She 
was a child of un-Christian parents, the highest people in the 
State, her father the Governor of the State, a former Judge of the 
Supreme Court, a gentleman of the highest standing, but out of 
Christ. The little girl as I stood by her bedside said to her 
father, " Father, come here." She took him by the coat, drew 
him down to her so that his head almost touched her cheek, and 
said, "Father, I am going up, I am going up, I am going to 
Jesus ; and now, dear father, I want you to promise me one 
thing." "What is it, my child ?" said he, broken down in ago- 
nizing sorrow. " I want you to promise me," said she, "that you 
will be a Christian and follow me to where I am going 5 up to 
Jesus ; " and turning to her grandfather, an old gray-headed man, 
nearly eighty years of age, she said, " Grandpa, your head is very 
white, and your time is very short ; but, grandpa, follow me to 
Jesus." So she passed away, saying to me, "Give my love to my 
Sunday-school teacher, and thank her for all she did for me." 
The next day we laid little Sallie in her grave under the tall pine- 
trees of the Southern forest, and after the funeral this tall, stately, 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 367 

dignified man, always attentive to my voice as a preacher, but 
never allowing me to get near him out of the pulpit, said to me 
with tears in his eyes, " Mr. Rogers, come and see us every day, 
and talk to us about Jesus, for we want to remember the little 
preacher and follow her to Christ." 

You don't know what your children could accomplish if they 
were brought to Jesus. One of the sweetest pictures of the lat- 
ter-day glory closes with this climax, " A little child shall lead 
them." And there are children in your household who may yet 
lead men and women to the Saviour, if we suffer them to come to 
Him now. 

After silent prayer, the Rev. George A. Peltz said : How can 
we reach that very point ? How can we see in the children of 
our homes and our classes that work of the Lord God so that 
they will lead others to righteousness ? In theory I have long 
held that they may be Christ's very early, but I had to wait 
for a little girl in my own home to teach me that the thing was a 
great reality. That little girl, five years old at the time of which 
I speak, was singing around the room, "I love Jesus." We 
thought it was to her only a matter of amusement, and one of us 
said, " Do you really love Jesus ? " " Why, I can't tell the time 
when I didn't love Jesus," said she. Love to Jesus appeared to 
have sprung up in that little heart, so far as she was conscious 
of it, as early as love to father or love to mother. 

It taught me this : First, None can tell how early God's Holy 
Spirit may take hold on a heart and mould it savingly. It taught 
me, secondly, That very little ones may intelligently receive the 
blessed Jesus ; and it taught me, thirdly, Never to doubt a child's 
experience where there is a sweet trust and a loving faith in the 
Saviour. As parents and as teachers let us hold to this. 

One other lesson we may learn from children. A boy in my 
own Sunday-school was convicted of sin. He came to the school 
hoping his teacher would say something to help him, but the 
teacher did not. He went home with his heart all crushed be- 
cause he felt that nobody cared for his soul. He sat down alone 
to brood over his terrible condition. His little sister came run- 



368 MOODY AND SANKEY-IN AMERICA. 

ning into the room, and as she came in she repeated the words, 
"Let not your heart be troubled," and away she went. He 
thought about it. Thought he, "Who sent me that message?" 
He supposed an older sister had sent it, and he felt so grateful 
that he went to thank her. She said, "I didn't send it." He 
called the little girl and asked who told her to say those words. 
" Nobody told me," said she. " Where did you get them ? " said 
he. She answered, " Why, I was learning my text for next Sun- 
day." He asked where the text was. She showed it to him, and 
for the first time the fact dawned on him, there is a Saviour who 
said, " Let not your heart be troubled." He thought, " My teacher 
had no such word for me, but Jesus had it, and I have it from 
the lips of Jesus." And just there and then he felt that Jesus 
had personally suffered with and sympathized with him, and was 
ready to bear his burden and take away his sins. Let us hold 
up a personal Saviour such as that. That is the Saviour the 
children need. 

Mr. Moody read a letter from an English correspondent, in 
which a very touching account was given of the call up higher of 
two Christian boys. " Precious Jewels " was then sung, and the 
meeting closed, the mothers tarrying to pray in one ante-room, 
and many of the men retiring for the same purpose to another. 

Teachers in the Sabbath-school might well take some hints 
from Mr. Moody. He preaches for a purpose. He does not 
merely do it to interest, but to convert. He would not preach at 
all, we may be sure, unless he did interest and instruct, but we 
may be equally certain that he would cease to preach if he did 
no more than this. His great aim is so to interest and instruct 
that his hearers shall decide for Christ. When a teacher spends 
all his time on that which will secure the attention and give in- 
struction, he may find that after all he has accomplished nothing. 
He has taken the easily-captured outworks, while the citadel re- 
mains untouched. The heart, and not the mind or the fancy, is 
the real object of attack. 

Mr. Moody, in one of his sermons, said : " Suppose I go to 
find a poor beggar-woman whom I have seen standing on the 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



369 



street clothed in rags. I find her all nicely clothed, and ask, 
' What does this mean ? ' She says, ' Why, Mr. Moody, a man 
came and put into my hand, as I stood here, a ten-pound note.' 
'How was that? Did you know how to put out the right kind 
of hand ? Was your hand all right ? ' ' Why, sir, you don't un- 
derstand. The stranger put the money, a ten-pound note, into 
my hand ; laid it here on this very palm. Why, I got the money ; 
isn't that enough ? ' Now, many come to me and say, ' I am 
afraid I haven't got. the right kind of faith.' Faith is only the 
hand held out to God. Don't look at your hand, look up to God. 
You don't feel joyful ? Take Jesus at His word, and let feelings 
alone." 

Mr. Marsh, who has been on Mr. Moody's track, writes : 
I have not once heard the complaint, so often made after revi- 
val excitement has cooled, that converts did not " hold out." It 
was a common thing for people to come into his meetings indif- 
ferent and go away converted. Indeed, the emphasis with which 
he preached to all alike the duty of immediate surrender was a 
stumbling-block to some good people. Who could not see that 
a man who decides promptly when an issue is fully before him, 
is quite as much to be depended on as one who dallies a long 
while over a decision ? There are no more steadfast soldiers of 
Christ in the British churches to-day than those who enlisted 
under Mr. Moody. Perhaps no other minister in Edinburgh has 
had to do with so many of the converts in that city as Mr. Wil- 
son, of the Barclay Church. He recently stated that he had 
known of but two declensions. But I am sure that the most 
important result of this two years' work is not measured by the 
number of hopeful conversions in connection with it, many thou- 
sands though they were. The breaking down of denominational 
prejudices is most marked. The spiritual life of the churches 
has been greatly quickened. Ministers confess that they have 
preached since as they never knew how to preach before. " He 
used to be a very different man, but he got a blessing when 
Moody was here," was a remark made about an earnest Chris- 
tian worker in Edinburgh, the like of which one often hears in 



370 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



Scotland. It was something marvellous how he inoculated those 
whom he met with his zeal for souls. A business man in an 
English town went to hear him in another city. They had a five 
minutes' talk together. A new fire was kindled in his heart, 
and since then he has had no greater joy than to preach in the 
evening on the street to those who never go to church; adjourn- 
ing to some convenient room for a prayer and inquiry-meeting 
with such as may be entangled in his net. In Aberdeen I found 
the theatres filled every Sunday evening to listen to the simple, 
pleading presentation of Gospel truth from a lawyer; and a 
police magistrate holding meetings in the Infirmary with the old 
people who are too feeble to get out to any other service. 

The results that followed his flying visits to some of the smaller 
cities were sometimes quite remarkable. At Berwick-on-Tweed 
I asked whether he held meetings there. " Yes, he was here 
for one day." I suggested that such a short visit did not leave 
much of a mark, probably. " Indeed it did," was the answer. 
"It was the beginning of a great revival. Berwick has never 
been the same town since." In many places the special revival 
interest — if it may be called special in such a case — which began 
with his meetings, still continues. 

"Evangelistic meetings" are a common form which this quick- 
ened interest in Christian work takes, — meetings with the special 
aim of leading sinners to Christ. They are held in halls, in 
churches, in tents ; on week-day evenings and on Sundays, con- 
ducted sometimes by ministers and sometimes by laymen. Edin- 
burgh seemed to be full of them. The noon prayer-meeting is 
one of the notable results of the work in the latter city. It is 
held in the Free Assembly Hall, and attended by hundreds 
every day. The ministers and members of all denominations 
seem to be most thoroughly and delightfully united in it. It 
flows on full to the banks with a current of its own. No one 
comes for the sake of " keeping it up." The specific requests 
for prayer that are sent into it sometimes reach a hundred in 
one day, a goodly number being accompanied by thanksgiving 
for answers received to prayers previously solicited. On Satur- 



■\ca 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



371 



days it takes the form of a crowded children's meeting, similar 
to those held in Dundee and other cities on Saturday afternoons. 

It is with sincere pleasure that we present the views of the 
Rev. Dr. Richard Newton as to the work of Messrs. Moody and 
Sankey in Philadelphia. Dr. Newton is so widely known, both 
in this country and abroad, from his prominence as a preacher 
to children, as a representative clergyman in one school of thought 
in the Episcopal church, and as editor of The Sunday School 
World, that a communication from him will always command 
attention. Moreover as chairman of the committee of arrange- 
ments for the meetings of the evangelists in Philadelphia, he has 
had unequalled opportunities of learning the truth as to the sub- 
ject on which he now writes. 

I write, by request, a few lines expressive of my own impres- 
sions of those dear brethren, Messrs. Moody and Sankey, and 
of the work which they are now carrying on in this great city. 
The details of their work are reported in the papers every day. 
I need not dwell upon them. The striking peculiarities which 
mark the men themselves have been spoken of, again and again. 
We are all familiar with these. There are three points of view 
from which these men, and their work, have most strikingly 
impressed me ; and on each of these I wish to say a few 
words. 

The first of these is the illustration afforded in the work of 
these men of the essential, practical union existing between Protestant 
Christians. Many instances of this might be referred to in con-, 
nection with this movement. A single one may here be adduced. 
This occurred rather in the preparation for the work than in the 
work itself. A part of this preparation was to have a class of 
Christian workers trained and ready to go into the inquiry-rooms 
and render service there, in guiding anxious souls to Jesus. 
The class was composed of between three and four hundred 
Christian men and women. These were gathered from the dif- 
ferent churches of the city, known to be in sympathy with the 
evangelists and their work. They were the best specimens of 
Christian knowledge and experience that these churches could 



372 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

furnish. And when convened together this body of " Christian 
Workers " made up a deeply interesting assembly. 

The preparation of these workers was intrusted to a committee 
of four ministers, representing the leading Protestant denomina- 
tions. The Rev. Dr. Breed represented the Presbyterian church ; 
the Rev. Dr. J. Wheaton Smith, the Baptist ; the Eev. Dr. Hat- 
field, the Methodist ; and the present writer the Episcopal church. 
This committee met the workers several times for general coun- 
sel and directions in view of the solemn and responsible work in 
which they were to engage. At these meetings each member of 
the ministerial committee addressed the workers in turn. There 
was no concert or agreement beforehand, as to the points to be 
discussed, and yet the most delightful harmony prevailed through 
all the exercises. Not one jarring or discordant note was struck 
from the beginning to the end. If a stranger had been present, 
he might have listened most attentively to the teachings of these 
men, representing the leading branches of the Protestant church ; 
and for the life of him, he could not have detected the slightest 
shade of difference in their teaching. From anything he saw, or 
heard there, he could not have told who was the Presbyterian, 
the Baptist, the Methodist, or the Episcopalian. The watchmen 
on the walls of Zion were seeing eye to eye. They had ap- 
proached so near to Jesus that they no longer saw things in the 
decomposed rays of their separate denominationalism. The 
pure white light that shines eternally from the Sun of Righteous- 
ness was shedding down its beams upon them ; and, on that 
grandest of all questions, "How shall a man be just with God?" 
they were made " one in Christ Jesus." And whatever helps to 
bring us thus together in such a way is a blessed work, and one 
on which God's blessing must certainly rest. 

Another interesting point of view from which to contemplate 
the work of these men is in its influence for good on the churches. 

We see several things from which this influence must spring. 
One of these is the marked characteristic of these men. If 
asked to put my finger on this peculiarity, I should say it was 
great singleness of aim, a remarkable earnestness and intensity 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



373 



of purpose. And to be brought into contact with such men, 
especially when, as in the present case, they are possessed of 
great magnetic power, cannot fail of having a good effect on all 
about them. We hear the song of life pitched to a higher key 
than we have been wont to sing it ; and before we know it, we 
find that our own hearts and spirits have been attuned to har- 
mony with this loftier strain. 

Then, again, the church in general is receiving good from the 
effect of Mr. Moody's style of preaching on the clergy. The 
most striking peculiarity that marks his preaching, is its simple, 
direct, practical, unceasing, and intensely earnest appeals to the 
Word of God. And greater conformity to a style of preaching, 
so truly primitive and apostolic, in the pulpits of our land, would 
be an unspeakable blessing to the church. It would be to put 
aside what the Apostle Paul calls " the enticing words of man's 
wisdom," and substituting for them "the demonstration of the 
Spirit and of power." This is a great want of the church in the 
present day. 

Still further, these evangelists are doing good to the church 
by promoting, on the part of Christian people, a more careful 
and diligent study of the Word of God. All the services in which 
they engage lead to this result. This is especially the case with 
the Sunday-morning services for Christian workers, f wished, 
while at these last-named meetings, that every member of my 
church could have been present, for I was satisfied that it would 
have done them all great good. I never went to my Lord's-day 
work in a better frame of mind for doing it than on the mornings 
when I had the privilege of attending those meetings. What we 
need among our church members in these days, above everything 
else, is greater acquaintance with the Scriptures. And these 
men are blessing the church by helping to lead Christian people 
on to just this result. 

The other point of interest from which to contemplate these 
evangelists and their work, is, in their power to reach and bless multi- 
tudes of men not reached or blessed by the ordinary mifiistrations of 
tJie gospel. This is seen in the character of the assemblies they 



374 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 

are addressing all the time. It is seen in the open acknowledg- 
ment of numbers converted at these meetings ; and especially in 
the numerous cases of those, lost to their families, or to society, 
and given up to the body-and-soul-destroying tyranny of strong 
drink ; but who, through God's blessing on their instrumentality, 
have been "plucked as brands from the burning," and restored 
to health and hope — to peace, to comfort, and to usefulness. 
The recovery of one such would be a sufficient recompense for all 
the time, and money, and labor expended in this work since 
these brethren came to our city. But when this one comes to be 
multiplied by dozens of scores of rescued men, of this most hope- 
less class of all who go astray ; and when to this one class are 
added large numbers of those in every other class of transgress- 
ors, brought back to God, through the labors of these evangelists, 
I feel, for myself — whatever others may say, or do — that I can do 
nothing else than thank God for sending them here ; and pray 
Him to bless them more and more while they tarry among, us ; 
and then to follow them with His blessing, wherever else it may 
please Him to lead them. 



Mr. Moody's Winsomeness. 



Gentlemen thus write from Philadelphia : 

For once we have an evangelist who is an evangelist. As such 
no fault can be found in him, except by some scurrilous papers, 
rumdealers and infidels. Many thanks to Him who has raised 
up and sent to us Mr. Moody. No crotchets, or hobbies, or 
eccentricities, or taint of heresy, or anything objectionable to 
earnest Christians — what a comfort in this, to begin with. But 
in expounding the Book he is mighty, because he has made it his 
study, is full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and has strong com- 
mon sense. In all these seven weeks of labor no heresy-hunter 
has even smelled any unsoundness. Plain, pointed, all-sided, 
tender and intensely earnest, he reaches every case. In the 
power of illustration he has no equal known to us — though he is 
not conscious of any scholastic rules or professional technical- 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



375 



ities. For once we have an evangelist who has solved that ques- 
tion of ministerial conferences and Sunday-school institutes, 
" How shall 'we reach the masses'!" Over eleven thousand peo- 
ple, of all classes, crowd the great tabernacle, all eager to get 
near the stand, and all hang upon his thrilling words. 

Mr. Moody is an organizer and a manager in the best sense. , 
Classifying Christian workers by age and sex, for greater effi- / 
ciency, by meeting at different hours and places adjoining, and V 
all under his direction, his way of doing things wins the co-opera- 
tion of all. And if, as rarely is the case, anything falls out of 
line, or is likely to disturb the harmony, he has the happy faculty 
of shutting it off without offence. Hence what a work has been 
done in seven weeks! No exact estimate can be made, of 
course, but inquirers have gone up to thousands. And the good 
gained to the church members in attendance, and to the ministry, 
cannot be told. At this point the interest is steadily rising and 
extending, and it seems vastly important that Messrs. Moody 
and Sankey continue here a long while yet. The sweet gospel- 
singer has also won the hearts of the people by his unequalled 
singing, and his loving labors in the inquiry-room. 

In the churches that are enjoying the influence of these great 
meetings, the good will long be felt, and the fruits seen. 

God never has a work to be done but he finds a worker to do 
it. Commonly, too, his choice is what just man's would not be. 
Samuel blundered as to Israel's first king, and the last thought 
of David, the chosen one, prefigured the mischoices of the kingly 
ones by men, and their rectifications by the Lord of the kingdom 
ever since. John, the shaggy rustic of the wilderness, with loath- 
some "locusts and wild honey" for "his meat," grimy fishermen, 
and a hot-headed youngster fiercely " haling men and women to 
prison," who of the " wise men " would have picked these as the 
men to tell the world the great redemption story? 

They were chosen and did it. Seventy years of Sunday-school 
work has drawn Christians into the general use of what are 
called the International lessons, which are simply a plan by 
which Christians agree to open to the same chapter and study it 



376 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

together, each Sabbath of the year. The Christian world never 
before by their own choice hit upon such a doing together of any- 
thing. It has pleased Jesus the king, and throughout the world 
he has drawn the heart of man to the divine Word in a wonderful 
manner. He has anointed ones in the service. This humbly 
born, illiterate Mr. Moody is a " chosen vessel," or witness to the 
treasures hid in the book of grace. He didn't set out to do this 
work. He doesn't claim to be doing it beyond all other men. I 
think he is doing it, though he may not know it, for while aiming 
at and attaining other wonderful work — using this as a means 
only — he is educating millions in a way of study, which will go 
on after all his other work ends, and outgo it in real value. 

Look at this assembly, seven or eight thousand, at early morn- 
ing of Sabbath, or at 4 p.m. of a week day ; sitting around him in 
far more reverent intensity of heed than the disciples of Socrates 
or Plato on the banks of the Illyssus ever showed ; than any 
group of pupils in any " Divinity School " I have seen ; no 
trifling, no fun-making, no dawdling, as in class-rooms ; but the 
eager, diligent thousands hearken and turn to chapter and 
verse, and make notes of his words, as of no professors of 
exegesis and sacred literature I have yet seen. 

The value of the work is not alone, not mainly, in what he 
does himself, but more in what he is training them to do. These 
may show what that is. 

(a.) A supreme aim to push the divine Word up to the souls of 
men ; to touch all men with God's thought in the Word, whatever 
that is. Face to face with God, his friend or his foe, is the prac- 
tical fact in this way of using the Bible. The narrative ; the 
text ; the setting is second ; how to get at the soul through it, 
is first. No matter for the story, or the style, or the commen- 
taries on it. Does it stop you from sinning and stir you up 
to do what God would have you do ? The persons in the narra- 
tive were good or bad, wise or foolish, as may be ; they are there 
to carry God's question to you : Are you fleeing from the wrath 
to come, and doing God's bidding to you ? To save souls, to 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 377 

make alive in Christ, is the ever-visible aim in the reading, and 
of his upspringing, comments as he reads. 

(b.) Vivid personation marks these readings. Take Lot and 
Peter. A quick-handed crayonist could put much of the " read- 
ing" on a board as it went on. It would be Lot stealing a look 
" toward Sodom," seeming not to see it; the glamour of its 
towers, warehouses, etc., stealing his heart. He gets there ; 
makes money ; gets into city office ; is rich. See him strutting 
about Sodom : boys whispering, " There goes rich Mr. Lot, 

president of bank!" Been any Congress he'd been Hon. 

John Lot, M. C. 1 Sounds well. He's done well for himself!" 
Next he is seen lolling in the " best carriage in Sodom," with 
wife and daughters, going to opera or theatre, etc. Religion 
dead in his soul; "just like you, and you, worldly professor, 
getting the world and losing your soul." Then two angels come. 
They will put up with him. He's one of the chief men of 
Sodom now. Why not have any distinguished strangers ? Ah ! 
he didn't guess their errand. They tell him ; ask if he has any 
other but those in the house. Then the mob ; the stroke of 
blindness ; and, because they can't see, he gets through the crowd 
to houses of sons-in-law. See him ring door-bell ; window opens, 
with "Who's there ? " The tidings ; the call, " Up, flee for life." 
They laugh at him; "mocked him;" he's out of his head. 
There's no danger! Sodom never had better times or stood 
firmer. His lost his witness ; men don't believe a word he says, 
because he's been living as much in the world as they have ; his 
testimony is good for nothing, just like so many here. Then the 
storm; the flight; "the sin of Sodom," etc. 

Peter was most effectively sketched ; with more of system and 
naturalness than any other I have noted. 

He is fishing; is called; leaves all; but as soon as he has 
made himself over to Jesus, goes back to his business. [Con- 
verts who would jump from the inquiry-room into the pulpit, etc., 
had a plain speaking to at this point] His call when the busi- 
ness was good— nets full — (costs to be a Christian); he gets into 
" Doubting Castle " — trying to walk the water — " most Christians 



378 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

live in that castle." On the Mount of Transfiguration he started 
" toward Rome " — a touch of High Churchism got into him. 
He would have three tabernacles : one for Moses, one for Elias, 
one for Christ — all alike, bring Christ down to their "old saints' " 
level ! Instantly they were gone ! Christ alone with them ; a 
voice of thunder, " hear him ! hear him ! " 

This was a masterstroke in the reading. With awful emphasis, 
" hear him " rang over the throng. Peter's fall was divided into 
six steps — each a kind of medallion scene around the central 
figure, which grew into bold and powerful form as he " read him 
out." (i.) The feet-washing refusal; didn't know how dirty 
travel in the world had made him. (2.) Self-confidence ; " If all 
forsake, not I," etc. (3.) Got asleep; "could not watch one 
hour." Malchus and his lost ear, or a half-awake Christian's 
blunder, was a telling point. (4.) " Followed afar off." (5.) Got 
into bad company ; by the fire in the hall. (6.) Lost his 
temper; swore, etc. This detail is given to show the method 
the revival Bible-study is taking. It is simply the Bible made 
alive ! 

Very ragged and inaccurate many of the chalk-marks are, 
some almost grotesque, but life is in them ; Christ is in them ; 
the way to be saved is seen by them as by no other use of Scrip- 
ture. On this method the Bible takes the hearer along with 
itself; it does not come at him, corner him, and "hew him in 
pieces," as in some uses of it ; but it fills him with itself, and he 
walks in the light, seeing by it his sins, and the blessed Jesus 
ever so full of waiting love and mercy toward him. 

Successors, more accurate, scholarly, and, we hope, as full of 
Christ, will carry on this raising to life of the Word of life in the 
manner Mr. Moody has so effectively begun. " Thy Word is 
truth." 

It is a wonderful record which is made of the meetings led by 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey in this city up to the present week. 
Including the young men's and young women's meetings, there 
have been in all about 250 different services of the series, with 
an aggregate attendance at them of perhaps 900,000 persons. It 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 379 

is thought by the committee in charge that at least 300,000 dif- 
ferent persons have in all been at these meetings. To the last 
the interest in the services has deepened, and the attendance at 
them has increased. The meetings of last Sunday, at the begin- 
ning of the ninth and closing week, were as crowded as any from 
the first of the series. Very many Christians have been quick- 
ened to new activity in the work of the Lord, and very many 
sinners have been led to yield themselves to a waiting Saviour, 
through God's blessing on these services. The good results of 
the meetings are not to end with the removal of the evangelists 
from Philadelphia. There is a new Christian life in this city, 
manifested in a spirit of union, and in zeal and heartiness in all 
religious endeavors beyond anything hitherto known here. Un- 
mistakable evidence of this is given in the varied exercises of 
the closing week of these evangelistic meetings. The brightest 
anticipations of friends of this work at its beginning are already 
more than realized in Philadelphia. 

It is interesting to note that the closing meeting of the course 
was densely packed by the best people of the city, while thou- 
sands were unable to gain admittance. Faithful to Christ and to 
the truth he wins the confidence of good men, and more than all 
binds them closer to the Lord and to duty. 

Mr. Sankey Answers a Question. 

" How should music be conducted in the Lord's work?" asks 
one. Before we give his reply we insert the crisp remark of a 
veteran pastor : 

"There are these three," said Dr. Plumer, at one of the Moody 
meetings, "faith, hope, charity, but the greatest of these is char- 
ity, for charity endureth forever. There are these three, prayer, 
the sacraments, praise, but the greatest of these is praise, for 
praise endureth forever." 

I can scarcely expect that my views will be accepted by all 
singers ; but my opinions are based upon the results of more 
than fifteen years' personal experience in conducting the service 



380 MOOTW AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

of praise in various branches of the Lord's work in this country 
and other lands. 

I will speak first of the music in the church, which should be 
conducted by a good, large choir of Christian singers, who would 
encourage the congregation to join heartily with them in the 
songs of Zion, instead of monopolizing the service themselves. 

I would not have unconverted persons leading the praise of the 
people of God. I am fully persuaded that four-fifths of the tra- 
ditional trouble with choirs arises from having unconverted peo- 
ple conducting this part of the service of the sanctuary. If I 
could not get a converted choir, I would go back to the good old 
ways of our forefathers, and select the best Christian man in the 
church who had a good voice, and put him up in front of the con- 
gregation, and let him lead as best he could, and I am sure the 
people would join more heartily under his leading than they 
would with a choir who are anxious to show how well they could 
execute some new tune which they have just found. But there 
are very few churches, if any, in which a good Christian choir 
may not be formed, and no one will doubt that when all the parts 
of our sweet church songs are sung from the heart, and the 
words of the hymn are distinctly pronounced, it is much sweeter 
than where all are singing in unison. 

I would have the singers and the organ in front of the congre- 
gation, near the minister or speaker, and would insist on deport- 
ment by the singers in keeping with the services of the house of 
God. The conduct of the choir during the service will have very 
much to do with the success of the preaching. Instead of whisper- 
ing, writing notes, passing books, and the like, the choir should 
give the closest attention to all the services, especially to the 
preaching of the Word. There should be the most intimate 
understanding between the leader of the singing and the pastor. 
When new tunes are to be introduced into the church they might 
be sung frequently by the choir alone, before the regular services 
commence, as voluntaries ; thus the people would become some- 
what familiar with the music, and when it is introduced into 
the regular service they would be able to take up the tune and 






THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 38 1 

sing it with pleasure and profit. New hymns and tunes should 
be introduced occasionally, but great damage is often done by 
injudicious choir leaders trying to introduce a new tune at every 
service. 

The congregation should be exhorted by the pastor to join 
heartily in the singing, and if a choir-master persisted in bring- 
ing out new-fangled tunes in which the people could not join 
during the hour of public worship, he should be set aside and his 
place supplied by some one who would not be so ambitious to 
show off how well the choir could perform, but who would be 
glad to have all the people join in the good old songs of Zion, 
which will be loved and sung until 

" All the ransomed church of God 
Are saved to sin no more." 

The whole question of the singing should be kept in the hands 
of the office-bearers of the church, and the choir should never be 
encouraged to entertain the idea that they are an independent 
organization, with power to levy war upon the church and bring 
it to terms, or to secede from it and cause a disruption. Praying 
singers are likely to be loyal to the church, and not to give 
trouble. 

The singing in the regular prayer-meeting should be of the 
most spirited and spiritual character, and should be led by a 
single voice, usually without instrumental accompaniment, so that 
no restraints of any kind may interfere with the worship of even 
the oldest saint, who might not be able to sing in just such time 
and voice as would be expected were the instrument used. 

The singing of long hymns should be avoided. Two or three 
verses well sung and bearing upon the key-note or subject of the 
meeting will do more good than a dozen verses poorly sung. 
Old familiar hymns and tunes should be used, with now and then 
a Sunday-school song, so that the children may feel that they 
have a part in the prayer-meeting as well as in the Sunday-school. 
The young should be encouraged to attend the prayer-meetings 
to assist in the singing. 



382 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Nothing will kill a prayer-meeting more effectually than poor 
drawling, lifeless singing ; while many a poor prayer-meeting has 
been saved by good and spirited singing. 

The American' Sunday-school has done more to make us a sing- 
ing people than all other causes combined, and to attempt giving 
suggestions as to how its singing should be conducted, may seem 
rather venturesome. But as there are schools where, for want of 
a good singing-leader, there is a sad deficiency in this most 
delightful service, I may be pardoned for dropping a few sugges- 
tions for their benefit. 

In the first place, you should have a lady or a gentleman who 
can play the cabinet-organ. If you have not such an instrument 
already, I would advise you to get one as soon as possible. Let 
the leader, seated at the organ before the school, with a few good 
voices near by, conduct the singing in a hearty and spirited man- 
ner, inviting and urging all the teachers and scholars to take part 
in it. You will have great difficulty in getting the children to 
sing at all, if the tunes are allowed to drag. A word now and 
then as to the meaning of the hymn, a few directions as to the 
way in which it should be sung, and hints as to the correct pro- 
nunciation of the words, will add much to the interest and profit 
of the singing. 

Do not let the school run into a singing-class. See that all the 
hymns have a bearing upon the lesson of the day. 

When union religious services are held, the singing should 
occupy a prominent place, and it should be judiciously conduct- 
ed. A union choir should be formed, composed of the best singers 
from the different denominations in the community. The pastors 
should select the persons from their own choirs or congregations, 
and send in their names to the person or persons selected to have 
charge of the singing. Frequent meetings of these singers should 
be held for practice. Such hymns and tunes should be used as 
are easily caught by the people, and such only as contain the 
simple gospel ; those which are full of invitations to Christ rather 
than to creed. 

All these preparatory meetings for practice should be opened 



or, 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. $$3 

and closed with prayer. Moreover each singer should be im- 
pressed with the importance of bearing himself in the most exem- 
plary manner. Especially should this be demanded from each 
singer during the time of the public services, for inattention to 
the preaching on the part of members of the choir will cause 
more or less inattention in the congregation. 

The time and tune should be led by the organ. The organist 
should first play a measure or two, to indicate the time and move- 
ment. At the close of this all should join heartily in the singing, 
leaving no place for the appearance of the quite useless appen- 
dage of too many religious gatherings — a fussy singing-leader. 
During the public service I would not have the leader stand up 
before the audience, and with a stick or a book beat the time with 
such fearful gesticulations as to call the attention of the people 
from the singing to himself. Let there be nothing about the 
choir to divert the audience from their part of the worship. All 
should try and understand the sentiment of the hymn or sacred 
song, and enter into it with heart and voice, in a prayerful frame 
of mind, silently asking God to bless the song to every soul. 

I am persuaded that much interest may be added to evangel- 
istic services by the singing occasionally of some sweet gospel 
hymn by a single voice. If the voice be strong enough, and the 
pronunciation of the words be clear and distinct, and the singer 
be full of faith that God will bless his message, I have no doubt 
that many will accept the " gospel in the song " who would, per- 
haps, otherwise remain unreached by the truth. I would not 
permit solo singing, or any other kind of singing, to take the place 
of the preached Word ; but solo singing, properly conducted, 
may be a means of attracting people to the services who would 
not have come simply to hear a sermon in the usual way. 

What is most needed in all these things is that they be at- 
tempted in prayer and faith, and to the glory of God. Ministers 
should pray for the singers and the singing. The singers should 
pray for themselves and their work. Thus may a bond of union 
be formed in this service which will be owned of God, and thereby 
will the world be led to see still more and more of the power 
of sacred song in winning souls to Jesus. 



384 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

At an immense praise-meeting presided over by him, additional 
words were spoken worthy of being read by many ten thousands. 

Mr. Sankey said : " There has been running through my heart 
since coming here this evening, a sort of mournful note along 
with these notes of joy. It is that these meetings are soon to 
pass away — that this is the last praise-meeting we shall probably 
join together in on earth. But with that thought comes this 
blessed thought, that by and by, with this large company, and 
with other large gatherings we have met elsewhere, we shall meet 
to sing a better song than we have ever sung on earth. We are 
glad of the Christian hope and assurance we have that we shall 
stand with that company, and our song shall be, 'Hallelujah, 'tis 
done ; I believe on the Son ; I am saved by the blood of the 
crucified One.' I would to God that while we are praying, sing- 
ing, and speaking to-night, souls may decide for heaven. We are 
fast moving on to judgment May God help us all to believe on 
Jesus, so that when we stand before the presence of the King we 
may be able to join in the new song of Moses and the Lamb." 

Mr. Sankey and the congregation then sang, " Tis the promise 
of God full salvation to give." 

Rev. Dr. McCook spoke of the way Messrs. Moody and San- 
key had overcome the prejudices of the people of Scotland against 
the organ and songs. When Mr. Sankey showed them he was 
singing the Gospel, it struck some of the people as a novelty, but 
it was no new thing. It was only a part of the old, old way of 
declaring the old, old story. He quoted several texts of Scripture 
to prove that there was a mighty influence in Christian song to 
retain in the minds of the people the truths of the Gospel. 

Mr. Sankey said: "I have received so many cheering letters of 
how these little hymns are blessed, that I am encouraged to go on 
with this speaking to one another in hymns and songs. It is 
wonderful how these hymns have been spread all over the world 
these last two years. After our work in London was over, I had 
twelve days to spend before sailing for home. I thought I would 
slip off where I would get rest, where I would not be asked to 
sing or even talk about these meetings. I went to Calais, thence 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 385 

to Paris, and on to Switzerland. I went to the capital of Swit- 
zerland, near the foot of the Alps. The evening I got there, the 
first thing I heard under my window was the most beautiful vol- 
ume of song that I almost ever heard. I looked out of the win- 
dow and saw about one hundred and fifty people singing this 
sweet hymn : ' Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast/ 
It had been translated into their language. I recognized the 
words. I spoke to them through my friend as an interpreter. 
The next evening they were requested to attend a large gather- 
ing in the capital of that country. I promised to go down and 
sing a hymn or two. The old French church was packed, and 
people were standing in the street. These people sang nearly all 
the hymns that you sing to-day. They had been translated and 
sung for months. I heard the children sing them in the Alps. 
As I returned through another portion of France, I heard those 
hymns sung on board the railway trains, and I thought, ' What 
shall the harvest be ? ' You do not know how many souls have 
been rested by hearing * Safe in the arms of Jesus.' Then, I 
said, by God's grace I will keep on singing, and I will encourage 
every other person who has a voice to keep on singing these sweet 
stories of Jesus and His love, and somebody will be blessed, just 
as somebody is being blessed here. May God bless the singing 
of these hymns throughout the earth until we meet to sing a 
better song in heaven." 

Rev. Dr. Sheppard said : " We owe a special debt of gratitude 
to God that in His good providence He has made the service of 
song so efficient in publishing the Gospel. When I first had the 
pleasure of being acquainted with Mr. Sankey I told him he had 
actualized an idea of the Rev. Albert Barnes. Mr. Barnes said 
to me a few weeks before his death, if he could sing as well as I 
could, he would not preach but would sing the Gospel in the 
pulpit ; for he thought he could accomplish more by singing than 
preaching it. The first song I heard Mr. Sankey sing was : ' Je- 
sus passeth by/ and I said that was the most eloquent sermon I 
ever heard ; it spoke of the opportunity present — soon to pass — 
and actually passed. It was most impressing and powerful." 
17 



386 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Sankey rendered the favorite hymn, "Jesus of Nazareth 
passeth by." His voice, in the lines " Oh, all ye heavy-laden, 
come," and afterward in " Too late ! too late ! will be the cry, 
Jesus of Nazareth has passed by," became so low, broken, full of 
pity and clear withal, that dozens of people half rose from their 
seats and bent forward toward the stage as if by magnetic attrac- 
tion. Mr. Sankey's singing was as fine as ever, and it seems 
strange that any one who listens to his beautiful songs of praise 
is not touched and brought to look upon the question of eternal 
life as the most important that could be presented. Men have 
risen for prayer who have stated that they were brought to realize 
their lost condition and to seek salvation through the hymns that 
they have heard sung. 

Mr. Moody read the 35th chapter of Isaiah, after which he 
made an earnest prayer, thanking God for the rich blessings that 
he has showered upon the people. Reports were then received. 
Mr. Moody first made the report as to the women's meetings. He 
stated that they are very interesting, and God is showing his 
power greatly. The prayers of mothers and wives are being 
amazingly answered. The 87 th hymn was then sung, 

Lord, I hear of showers of blessings. 

The reports were then continued as follows : Mr. George H. 
Stuart reported a great awakening in the First Reformed Presby- 
terian Church. He said that the pastor had taken a great inter- 
est in the revival services, and that since they have commenced 
his only son has given his heart to Christ. There are now twenty- 
three young men who are living witnesses of what Jesus is doing 
in that church, and while he could not give the number of ladies 
who have professed Christ, he would say that there have been 
quite a large number. Several young men in his store had come 
out on the Lord's side. 

Mr. Rowland represented the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion. He said that the prayer-meetings on Saturday evenings 
are largely attended, and that there is an average of twenty young 
men who at every meeting rise for prayer and express a desire 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



387 



to come to Christ. There have been twenty-seven drinking men 
converted. Meetings have been inaugurated by the young con- 
verts- among the workmen at the Gas Works and the seamen on 
board of the receiving-ship. He also stated that a good work is 
being done by the Yoke Fellows, and that bands of workers 
were going out, holding meetings, and bringing men to the 
Saviour. , 

Professor William Johnston followed by stating that a great 
awakening was going on in a small mission near Germantown, 
and that on last Tuesday evening' some twelve or fifteen arose 
for prayer, and before leaving the place gave their hearts to 
Christ. On Sunday a meeting was held at the House of Correc- 
tion, the result of which was most encouraging. Over one hun- 
dred persons arose for prayer. At the Bethany Presbyterian 
Church, at the request of the pastor, he reported the most happy 
results. At the last communion twenty-nine persons arose for 
prayer. 

Mr. Wannamaker made a very encouraging report of what the 
Lord is doing at the young men's meetings. He said that they 
are largely attended, and that nightly a score or more men rise 
for prayers and are led to Christ. The meetings are remarkable 
for their length, and though it has been his effort to close them 
at 11 o'clock, it is often midnight before some of the young men 
are able to get away. He also said that many had been turned 
to God through the singing of Mr. Sankey, and often when Mr. 
Moody feared that he had failed in his efforts to reach the hearts 
of the people, a number have testified that the sermons had 
induced them to take a stand for Christ. 

Rev. Dr. Hatfield followed, and said that he had been greatly 
encouraged with the meetings, and had given them very much of 
his time. He spoke of the great work that is being done among 
the women, and said the results are astonishing. He then referred 
to the young men's meetings, and stated that he had seen as many 
as fifty rise for prayer. The number of conversions are surpris- 
ing, and, do what he would, he never could get away until a very 
late hour. 



388 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Moody said that he had received a letter from a young 
convert, a resident of Cedarville, New Jersey, who, several weeks 
ago, while on a visit to this city, attended a meeting in the depot 
and was converted. He went home and opened a prayer-meeting 
in a school-house, which has been greatly blessed. The meet- 
ings are still being held, and are being attended with glorious 
results. 

A school-teacher from the country during the Christmas holi- 
days was converted at one of the meetings, and he writes that 
after he got home he gathered the boys together and had a 
prayer-meeting. Several have since been held, all of which have 
been greatly blessed. On Monday last a lady came in the 
women's prayer-meeting and was converted. She said that the 
evening before her husband had attended the meeting in the 
depot and given his heart to Christ. The conversion was brought 
about in this manner : The two had engaged in a quarrel, during 
which their little girl, unobserved by them, on the porch knelt 
down and prayed for them. A neighbor noticed the child, and 
went into the house and told the parents. The quarrel ceased, 
and that night the father went to the meeting at the depot, and 
there was converted. He returned home and set up the family 
altar. The result was that the wife and mother the next day 
attended the meeting and was also converted. The family are 
now rejoicing in the Saviour. 

Mr. John Wannamaker, who has so efficiently presided over 
the young men's meetings, made a very encouraging report of the 
work that has been done and is being done for the conversion of 
souls to Christ. He said that it was difficult for him to know 
just where to commence, and what to say in the limited time 
afforded him to speak. The churches in which the meetings 
have been held have been crowded, and very many interesting 
incidents have taken place. On Sunday night, in Rev. Dr. 
McCook's church, between four hundred and five hundred young 
men on their knees consecrated themselves afresh to the Mas- 
ter's work, and nearly all of those young men were converted 
during the past eight weeks. He had never witnessed such meet- 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA, 389 

ings, and on earth he never expected to be closer to God than 
he has been while in attendance upon them. Every night men 
have stood up and given their hearts to Christ, and are now 
laboring hard for the conversion of all out of the fold. A recent 
convert who once had been a Christian, but who had fallen 
through the power of strong drink, related his experience. He 
had lost two fortunes, and all his friends had left him, but through 
the efforts of Mr. Moody he had been again brought into the 
fold. 

Mr. Wannamaker said he did not know how he could get into 
words the report he desired to make of the young men's meeting. 
He wished he could put it in like the beggar who came to the 
door and said : "Please ma'am, give me a drink of water; I am 
so hungry, I don't know where to sleep to-night." It has been 
high tide all the week at these meetings, and they have been 
crowded as they have never been before. He never expected 
on earth to get as near heaven as he had been when at some of 
these meetings, when in some portions of the house young men 
were finding the Saviour, others weeping over their sins, others 
singing joyous songs ; and such was the spirit of the hour that, 
for the time at least, we were all Methodists. It was impossible 
to enter into details, and, indeed, he would rather not mention 
names or special cases except to say that among those who are 
coming to take their places on the Lord's side, it seemed to him 
that we have the promise of many Moodys and Sankeys, of grand 
men to stand in the front and preach for the Lord Jesus Christ. 
In all our city the shining host of heaven last night did not look 
down upon a more beautiful scene than when between four and 
five hundred young men in Dr. McCook's church were upon 
their knees consecrating themselves afresh to the service of the 
Lord. These men, so far as he had observed, were new recruits 
in the ranks of the Master's army. The most beautiful thing 
about it was that they came from all classes of society. Some of 
the first men in Philadelphia are nobly confessing Christ, and are 
ready to work for him. He believed the time was coming again 
when, like Joseph, Shadrack, Meshech, Abednego, and Daniel, 



39° MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



.. 



the young men are to be noble witnesses for Christ. May God 
speed the day when every young man in this city shall feel that 
it is the greatest privilege and highest honor to be on the side 
of Christ and working for him. 

Interest Culminates. 

Such an interest in any matter has never been experienced, 
much less in religious affairs. It would seem from the crowds 
and the number of anxious inquirers that the Master's cause was 
being taken up with the determination to carry it through to a 
final and complete victory, that Satan and his followers are to be 
overcome, and that truth and righteousness are to triumph over 
sin and iniquity. Whatever may be said of the meetings, one 
thing is certain, that an amount of good has been accomplished 
during the past eight weeks that is beyond all calculation. 
Blasphemers have been made to realize the extent of their sins ; 
scoffers have been turned to Christ; drunkards have been re- 
formed through the operations of the Holy Spirit, and those 
who denied the existence of a God have been compelled to cry 
for mercy and forgiveness. Where there has been strife there is 
now happiness ; and where there was once discord there is now 
peace. Families have been united, and husbands and wives, 
once estranged, reconciled. With all this has come an entire 
dependence upon God, and but for the Scriptural teaching of 
the evangelist, it could not have been brought about. With all 
these evidences of the power of God, there would seem to be 
nothing else necessary to prove the necessity of accepting the 
terms of the Saviour. No happiness can be obtained outside of 
Him, and he acts rashly who refuses to heed the warning words 
of those who are holding up the cross. 

Theirs is a holy work, that has the approval of all good men, 
and, what is better than all, the blessings of the Father. Every 
man or woman who has been checked while on the downward 
path of destruction, and through the teaching and preaching of 
the evangelists has been induced to look in faith for strength 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



391 



to a Higher Power, has reason to thank God that the meetings 
were inaugurated. There have been thousands of brands rescued 
from the burning, and who are now tasting of a happiness that 
hitherto they knew nothing of. Anything that brings comfort to 
the sorrowing heart and peace to a family must be of God, and 
those who are the instruments by which it is brought about can- 
not but be His servants. For all the good that has been done 
by the evangelists and by all who are aiding them there is await- 
ing a reward in heaven far richer than any gift that could be 
bestowed by men. 

So great was the desire to hear that the Depot was filled with 
upwards of twelve thousand persons, and the doors closed, and 
before twenty minutes from this time there were seven thousand 
persons around the several doors of the building striving in vain 
to gain admittance. There were two thousand persons forming 
an excursion party from Wilmington, Del., and Chester, Penn., a 
portion of whom were unable to get within the building. It was \ 
with much difficulty that Mr. Moody himself was able to force 
his way through the crowd that thronged the door. One of the 
doors was forced open and a number of persons took possession 
of some of the seats reserved in front for the unconverted. 

Among the distinguished persons on the platform were Hon. 
Judge Paxson (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania), Mr. S. Iwanager 
(Japanese Commissioner) and friend, Rev. Wm. Harmson (Balti- 
more), Mr. Potter (President National Bank), W. Simes, Esq., 
Mr. Noblett (President Commercial Exchange Bank), Hon. Ho- 
ratio Gates Jones (State Senator of Pennsylvania), Alex. Brown 
(banker), Rev. Dr. Aikman (Detroit, Michigan). 

Before commencing his discourse Mr. Moody spoke of how 
unfairly a part of the audience had acted in bursting open the 
door and taking the seats reserved for the unconverted. Some 
of those people who had taken possession of those seats had 
been occupying them for the past two weeks, and he hoped their 
consciences would trouble them so they would not sleep to-night, 
and then they would not break the door open to-morrow. It 
might not be right to make these remarks in regard to all who 



39 2 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

had come in by that door, but those whom the coat fitted might 
put it on and button it up tight. 

At the close of the meeting three thousand persons went into 
the inquiry-rooms. 

Such an anxious seeking for the truth has never been wit- 
nessed, and it is a question whether the same amount of positive 
good has been accomplished anywhere in so short a time. What, 
apparently, is wanted by the people is the presentation of God's 
Word in the same simple and easily-to-be-understood manner, 
as has been the case the past few weeks by the evangelists. The 
plan of salvation and the promises and mercies of the Father 
are often so mysteriously clouded, that people do not really 
understand what is required of them. Then again, the truth is 
not unfrequently presented in such an uninviting form as to rather 
drive away than attract sinners. The plainer it is stated the bet- 
ter, and the more good is accomplished. Messrs. Moody and 
Sankey have signally succeeded in this matter, for by their 
preaching, praying, and exhortation, very many who never 
opened a Bible are now studying the sacred volume and in it 
are finding comfort and happiness. It may be said with a great 
deal of truth that all classes have been benefited by the special 
religious services — ministers, Christian workers, and sinners. 
There never has been such a delightful period as the past two 
months, and all who have been privileged to be present at the 
Depot during the sojourn of the evangelists in this city will look 
back upon the period with great pleasure, for they have witnessed 
wonderful manifestations of the Holy Spirit and the blessings 
of the labors of the good and faithful ambassadors of Christ. 

Mr. Moody's example of constant speaking reminds us of the 
resolution formed by Fox, the greatest of English orators, who, 
after one failure in the House of Commons, determined to speak 
on every question, and so rose by degrees to be the greatest 
debater the world ever saw. Mr. Moody says : 

When I began my Christian course, I tried to work in the 
churches in Chicago, and I was told that I had better not speak. 
I went into the dark lanes and got meetings together. I kept my 



THE WORK IN PHILADBLPHIA. 393 

mouth open, I did not let the church close it. Confess Christ in 
season and out of season, and let the devil and the world talk and 
throw stones at you. Your reward will come by and by. Take 
a bold stand for Christ. You will never be good for much for 
God's service until the world calls you crazy. If the world has 
nothing to say against you, you are not much of a Christian. 

" My subject is ' Instant Salvation.' What is that? One minute 
Noah was outside of the ark, and the next he was in. The man, 
Christ Jesus, is the ark, and the moment you step in you're saved. 
A man came to me at a Manchester meeting, and said that it 
was his feelings that kept him from believing. Said I, was it 
Noah's feelings that saved him in the ark, or was it the ark ? 'Ah, 
I see it I ' he exclaimed ; ' I've got to make a train. Good-by,' 
and he was off. He afterward became one of the best workers 
in that town. One instant Lot stood inside of Sodom, and in the 
next he was outside- — don't you see ? That's instant salvation. 
The blood of the paschal lamb is placed on the door-posts in a 
second, and the Hebrews are safe from the destroying angel." 
Mr. Moody made another point in the six cities of Joshua on the 
banks of the Jordan, and once within the walls of which a mur- 
derer was safe from the avenging pursuit of the murdered man's 
relatives. In imitating the actions of a man striking the bloody 
blow, mounting his horse, rushing at breakneck speed over the 
hills and through the valleys, and at last springing into the city 
of safety, from which he turns a look of defiance back at his baf- 
fled pursuer, Mr. Moody made quite a lively place of the pulpit, 
and as he shouted until he became hoarse, his dramatic display 
was very attractive. "As soon as we get into the city, we may 
stop running — we're free. When the black man in our country 
was in slavery, he always kept looking toward the north star ; he 
knew there was no use in going into Pennsylvania or New York, 
for he'd be brought back ; but he looked farther — across the 
Canadian boundary, where he beheld waving a flag under which 
no bondsmen breathed. He is pursued, he flees, crosses the line 
■ — is one instant a slave, and the next he stands under the Union 
Jack a free man. The Queen's soldier is enlisted by simply hav- 



394 MOODY A*ND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



ing a British shilling placed in the palm of his hand — made a 
soldier in an instant. Do you want to know when you're a Chris- 
tian ? It's when you've got the British shilling. Is there one 
here to-night who will cross the line and be free?" [Voice, 
" Yes."] " Thank God — any more ? " he inquired. [Voice, "Yes."] 
" Praise the Lord ! Who else will come to Christ ? " A lady 
arose to her feet and said, " I will." " Let us pray," said Mr. 
Moody, "and let all who want our prayers arise. Now, don't 
look around to see who else is rising." The intercession for 
the penitents being ended, there was a general chorus of the 
hymn, " Come to Jesus," and the multitude dispersed. 

At the great Christian convention which assembled on the 
19th and 20th of January, Mr. Moody said he had received a 
great many letters from ministers and others asking him how to 
get up these meetings, and how to conduct them. If you can 
get two or three ministers and congregations agreed in a town of 
five thousand inhabitants, let your meeting be appointed and 
have it advertised ; and when the meeting is organized, do not 
change the speakers each night to please the different denomina- 
tions, but let one man speak each night for at least one week, 
and then the people become acquainted with his way of present- 
ing the Gospel to them. Let the meetings be short. Send' the 
people away hungry, and they will come back again. Look well 
after the ventilation, and have good, lively singing. Have godly 
men and women to sing from the heart, and sing new pieces 
once in a while. The songs of John Wesley went further than 
his sermons. 

There is no general rule as to how to pull the net and gather 
in the harvest of souls. There are various ways, such as getting 
them to go into the inquiry-room, or to rise for prayer. One way 
to find out who want to become Christians is to get them to do 
something they do not want to do. At a union meeting do not 
speak on controverted subjects if they are not cardinal points; 
but if they are, we must take a firm stand. At these meetings 
all denominations have given up something. The Quakers have 
given up something, and so have the Methodists. Dr. Hatfield 



:, 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 395 

has not shouted once since he has been here. [Laughter.] The 
object of these union meetings is to proclaim the Gospel. 

Mr. Moody expressed himself ready to answer any questions 
that might be asked, and these several questions were asked by 
the audience : 

Q. If a meeting is to last one hour and ten minutes, how long 
should the sermon be ? 

A. From thirty to forty minutes. A good many people, by a 
long sermon, receive impressions and lose them again before the 
sermon is concluded. 

Q. What ought to be the character of the prayers ? 

A. Special meetings ought to have special prayers. Regular 
church services pray for everything in general. This is right ; 
but when we have ""special services we do not want the prayers 
offered for our rulers, but for the souls that are present. 

Q. Where would you have the meeting held in a small town ? 

A. In one of the churchres, if there was no sectarian feeling ; 
but if there is a spirit among the churches to bring converts to 
their particular churches, then go into some public hall. 

Q. In villages where there are several churches, and the church- 
goers are cold, and you cannot make an impression on their hearts, 
how would you act ? 

A. Go on with the regular services, but have a special service 
to wake them up. These special services are something out of 
the regular course and it sets people to thinking. 

A gentleman in the audience requested Mr. Moody to repeat 
the questions before answering them, as the congregation could 
not hear them. 

Mr. Moody said he could not hear some of them himself. 
[Laughter.] 

The meeting for the hour closed with singing " Come Thou 
Fount of every blessing." The doors were opened to allow the 
departure of some, and the admission of others to the eleven 
o'clock meeting, the subject of which was " How to conduct 
prayer-meetings." 

Rev. Allison Henry, of Philadelphia, made the opening prayer. 



396 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Moody gave his ideas of how prayer-meetings ought to be 
conducted. There should be no formality. If the people will 
not come up and take the front seats, the minister should go down 
among them and take the stiffness from the meeting. The secret 
of the minister's success is to get others to work. People who 
take part in your prayer-meetings are the ones that don't find 
fault ; but when they don't work they will find fault. In Chicago 
we have nineteen meetings a week, and there is no time to go to 
theatres, if there is any wish to go. The prayer-meetings should 
be open if you want to make them interesting. 

Q. Do you think prayer-meetings are better than a Wednesday 
evening lecture ? 

A. I pity the church where the minister has no prayer-meeting ; 
I do not advocate giving up prayer-meetings for lectures. 

Q. Should women and children be encouraged to speak in our 
prayer-meetings ? 

A. That is a controverted point. The Presbyterians say 
women should be silent. 

Q. Is it best to have laymen lead the prayer-meeting ? 

A. I think when a minister has been leading a prayer-meeting 
for fifty years it gets into a groove, and it would be an advantage 
to have an elder lead the meeting ; then, in the case of a vaca- 
tion, the prayer-meeting would not be closed. 

Q. How is a spirit of prayf r to be developed in a meeting ? 

A. It better be commenced in the classes. 

Q. If there are members who cannot pray or speak, and yet 
are good, conscientious members of the church, ought they to be 
encouraged to speak or pray ? 

A. That is an important question. When I was converted, I 
got up in a good many prayer-meetings to speak for Christ. I 
had zeal without knowledge. A minister took me one side ; he 
colored up, and I knew something was coining. He hesitated 
and then he hung his hea'd. I said, "Say on." He said, "I 
have no doubt but that the Lord has converted you, but — ah, ah, 
■ — ah, don't you think you would serve the Lord by keeping 
silent?" [Laughter.] The man was honest, and if I had been 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 



397 



in his place I might have given the same advice. He should 
have told me there was some work I could do. I was two years 
in finding it out, and then I went into the lanes and went to 
among the ragged boys. 

Q. Don't you think it would be a failure in a prayer-meeting 
if there was no effort made to bring unconverted men to Christ ? 

A. There should be an effort made, but it is sometimes best 
done by believers giving an account of the joy they experience 
in believing, instead of exhorting. 



How to Get Hold of the Non-Church-Goers. 

On this subject Mr. Moody spoke as follows : 

I want to say a few words on this question if you will allow 
me. We have had in our city (Chicago), for a number of years, 
what we call a "Yoke Fellow's Band." They meet every Sunday 
night, say at six o'clock. We furnish them with tea. This 
doesn't cost much, only about fifteen cents a head ; and after 
they have drank their tea, and prayed together, they start out to 
find recruits and bring them to the church. I have not known 
for years what it is to preach to empty seats ; long before I had 
any reputation to draw folks we always used to have our church 
full. Many churches around us that had men with great names 
to draw a congregation, very often during the Summer season 
were only quarter full, or half full, but for the twelve months of 
the year our church would be full. It was these young fellows 
who brought them there. These men who bring in the recruits 
off of the street, found probably in some dark saloon, and brought 
in, will be anxious that you should preach well, and if the minis- 
ter seCs that his helpers are anxious that he should make an 
impression upon his hearers, he will preach all the better for it. 

There are hundreds and thousands of young men in this 
country who want to work in the church, but they don't know 
how. They want some one to set them to work. The way we 
4© in our meetings is this : We have two men generally go to- 



39§ MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

gether ; we put them on the corners of the great thoroughfare, 
or we give them so many saloons, and billiard-halls, and hotels 
to look after. Every saloon within a mile of that place of wor- 
ship is visited. Many a time I have gone into these saloons and 
asked men to come and hear me preach. I know that isn't a 
very proper thing for a preacher to do, but it's a good deal better 
than preaching to empty seats. Some of our brethren said they 
didn't like to do it ; I said there were a great many things we 
didn't like to do. If we make up our minds to it, we can get 
people to the preaching. If we roll up our sleeves, they will 
come. Then in the summer season never mind the church, 
leave it to the owls and bats ; if the people won't come to the 
church, go out on tke first street corner you come to and preach, 
or go to the court-house square, or the park ; anywhere, to get at 
the people. And then when you get the people, have good sing- 
ing. And remember when you sing that what the people want is 
the words. The words, not the music, reach the soul and convert 
the man. And then shake hands with every one who comes. 
Instead of staying in the pulpit to pronounce the benediction, I 
used to go right down to the door while they sang the last hymn, 
then I'd get them as they passed out. Let the benediction go, 
but shake hands with them. And we must have plainer churches. 
And they must not have mortgages upon them. If we are all the 
time staggering under a big debt, we must be after the money of 
the people, and that will soon drive them off. When they won't 
come to the church, or, as many can't come — mothers, washer- 
women, people with nothing to wear — why, go to them. Ask 
permission to go down to their rooms and hold a cottage prayer- 
meeting. Let them call in their neighbors. That commits these 
people to your side; they are then known to favor religious 
meetings, and good is done in that way. Don't arrange it so as 
to keep the hymn-books in the church all the time. Let the 
people carry the books home, then they'll sing of Jesus while at 
their home work. 

In answer to question, What was the secret of your success in 
Chicago ? Mr. Moody said :^The only way I got along in Chicago 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 399 

was by going to preach to the people if they would not come and 
hear me. 



A Farewell Not Final. 

At the close of the course of meetings in Philadelphia, the 
Evangelists were greeted in the Old Depot by an immense au- 
dience, from which thousands were excluded by lack of room, 
who had come to manifest their interest in the mighty work and 
its chief promoters. Deep solemnity rested on the vast assem- 
blage, and many hearts were saddened by the prospect of the 
departure of the men who had won them to Christ, or stimulated 
and instructed them as Christian workers. 

Mr. Moody, after making the announcements for the meetings 
to follow, said that the expenses of the meetings had been paid, 
but that this evening he would, on his own responsibility, ask for 
a thank-offering with which to finish and pay for the building now 
in course of construction for the Young Men's Christian Associ- 
ation. He said that he desired it also to be distinctly understood 
that they [Moody and Sankey] were receiving no money from the 
committee, and declined to have any collections taken up in the 
meetings. As to the photographs, they had no interest in them, 
and for eight years he had refused to have any taken. If any 
one had purchased a copy and felt cheated, he did not pity him. 
It is true that there is a royalty upon the hymn-books, which is 
paid over to a committee, consisting of Mr. George H. Stuart of 
this city, William E. Dodge of New York, and Mr. Farwell of 
Chicago. He did not know how much had been realized upon 
the sale of the books in this city, but in order to satisfy any one 
that no money has been made out of the meetings, the committee 
would give one thousand dollars as a thank-offering for the Young- 
Men's Christian Association's Hall. He trusted that two hun- 
dred and fifty thousand dollars wonld be subscribed. 

He read the following letter: 

Dear Mr. Moody : — Through the instrumentality of the blessed 
meetings now closing, my darling son, a prodigal, and his wife are 



400 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



;, the 



now resting in a Saviour's love. The accompanying ring 
gift of one dearly loved, and so long worn it seems a part of 
myself, I now offer to my dear Lord and Master as a thank- 
offering for His unspeakable blessing. Do with it as the Holy 
Spirit directs. Please join with me in prayer that my son may be 
consecrated to God, and be the means of leading many to Christ. 

He said: Enclosed I found a diamond ring with eight dia- 
monds. One man said he would give $500 for it. If any will 
give more he can have it, but if not the ring will be sold for $500 
and the money be given to the Y. M. C. A. Let us now go to 
work and praise God by giving $280,000 for this object. 

The ushers then began to take the collection up, and almost 
immediately Mr. Moody announced that three persons had given 
$70,000, and shortly after that another person had given $10,000 
more, and that the diamond ring had been sold for $1,000. 

About $100,000 were speedily raised, a short sermon was 
preached, and then Mr. Moody spoke of his past nine weeks' 
labor as most precious weeks to him ; but one cloud crossed his 
path, and that was that he was now to take his leave of them. 
He wanted to thank the people for their attention, and he wanted 
their prayers for the success of the work in the metropolis of the 
country. He thanked the ministers of Philadelphia for their sup- 
port and sympathy. He also thanked the ushers, choir and re- 
porters, and invoked the blessing of heaven upon them. 20,000 
copies of his little book for the unconverted would soon be 
ready, and copies would be sent to those who are not Christians 
if they sent their names. 

Finally, he said : We love you, and we want your prayers as 
we go to New York. He then prayed most earnestly for all s the 
young converts, that they may be kept true to the faith. 

After singing " Blest be the tie that binds," the happy throng 
dispersed. 

The Last Farewell. 

After a brief absence from the city, the Evangelists returned 
Feb. 4th, to bid a last farewell to the thousands who had learned 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 40 1 

to follow them as the multitudes once followed the Master. The 
Depot-Tabernacle was packed to repletion with an eager multi- 
tude, many of whom were better content with a few square inches 
on which to stand, where the words of the Evangelists could be 
heard, than with all the pleasures of the great world beckoning 
from the outside. On the stage were almost all the clergymen 
who have taken an active interest in the movement. 
Mr. Sankey, by request, sang the beautiful hymn, 

Sowing the seed by the daylight fair. 

The stanzas were sung as a solo by Mr. Sankey, the choir 
joining in the chorus with much spirit and expression. The 
chorus of the last verse was sung so softly as to give the sweet 
effect of a distant choir of angel choristers. At the conclusion of 
the hymn Mr. Moody arose, and calling attention to the fact 
that at the last meeting a collection was taken up for the benefit 
of the Young Men's Christian Association building, said that it 
was necessary to raise about $280,000, and at the last meeting 
only $120,000 had been subscribed. It might be supposed that 
this was a good deal to spend on a building, yet many citizens 
had private houses worth far more in actual value, and only one 
family could reap the benefits. But this building was to be a 
home for thousands of young men who might otherwise be led 
astray by the brilliant palaces of crime which Satan was con- 
stantly rearing for the ruin of the young. If it was desirable to 
redeem young men it was necessary to go where they would 
naturally congregate, and this association, if provided with con- 
venient and pleasant quarters, would attract the young of all 
classes, and there the workers for Christ could labor. Continu- 
ing, he spoke of the advantages of the Young Men's Christian 
Association in other cities, showing that in Cleveland especially 
the results were beyond calculation. Every young man, when 
converted, became a Christian worker, and was it not better to 
have one, or two, or three thousand young men voluntarily work- 
ing for God than letting the young wander in any direction, while 
a few hundred paid missionaries were vainly striving to stem the 



402 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

tide of sin ? He then told an affecting story of a boy who was 
taken by his father from his Scotland home, and lost in the streets 
of Chicago while the father was on a drunken spree. The boy 
became a street gamin, and grew up surrounded by the worst 
influences. Time passed on, and at length, through the Young 
Men's Christian Association, the youth was saved. Then, as the 
love of the Saviour pervaded his heart, the memories of boyhood 
returned, and he was seized with an irresistible longing to gaze 
once more on the face of the mother so long lost. He wrote 
again and again to many different addresses, but the letters were 
all returned. Almost despairing, he threw himself on his knees, 
and in anguish called on God to help him. As he prayed, the 
memory of a long-forgotten village came to his brain, and he 
seemed to hear some spirit whisper that there he could find a 
letter awaiting him. He wrote, and received the letter which 
his mother had written to him seven years before. With this as 
a guide he found the mother, so long lost, waiting in submission 
to God's will for the return of her son, and when that son not 
only returned, but she folded to her arms a Christian, her heart 
overflowed with joy, and that one moment repaid for all the long 
years of hopeless longing. " Was not the saving of this young 
man," asked Mr. Moody, "worth all the money that could be 
spent on any building ? Did not that mother's tears bestow a 
double blessing on every giver and every worker in Christ?" 
Mr. Moody concluded by beseeching those present to each do 
their share towards forwarding the blessed work of the Young 
Men's Christian Association by aiding in the erection of a long- 
needed building. While the ushers were passing through the 
congregation with the contribution baskets Mr. Sankey sweetly 
sang a new solo, after which Mr. Moody made a fervent prayer 
for the blessing of God on the work already done, and asking that 
on the golden shore of the Beyond all who had found Christ 
might clasp hands without missing the face of one lost brother. 

The 82d hymn, 

Only an armor-bearer proudly I stand, 
Waiting to follow the King's command, 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 403 

was next sung by Mr. Sankey, the choir joining heartily in the 
chorus. At the conclusion of the second verse the entire con- 
gregation of twelve thousand persons rose to their feet and 
blended their voices with those of the choir. 

Mr. Moody next arose and said : " I want to call your atten- 
tion to one little word in the fourth verse of the fourteenth chap- 
ter of Romans. That little word is able. God is able to hold 
you, and will hold you up if you have faith in His power, and are 
not self-confident. There are three enemies which every young 
convert has — the flesh, the world, and the devil. Don't think you 
have got rid of them. Not only do the young fall, but some of 
the most eminent men have fallen after years of walking in the 
right path. Don't think you are to be wafted into heaven without 
any effort. You have got to fight — it is a conflict. But how 
sweet is the thought that God is able to make us stand. But you 
must let God keep hold of you. It is a great deal better to have 
God take hold of you than for you to try to take hold of God for 
safety, while confident not only that you can stand alone, but can, 
if necessary, retain your grasp. Every Christian's life should be 
like that of the orange tree. In Florida I saw these trees grow- 
ing in dry sand, and when I asked how they lived, I was told 
that every tree had a top root which went right down until it 
struck water. We, too, must find a fount so pure and revivifying 
that no surroundings can injure our spiritual growth. Now, I 
want to call your attention to the second chapter of Hebrews, the 
eighteenth verse. It is temptation that brings out the character. 
We don't want to be like hot-house plants. We must learn to 
overcome temptations. Our Saviour has been tempted, and He 
knows how to succor them that are tempted. If you are over- 
taken in a fault, young friends, don't be discouraged ; go right to 
Christ in your time of trouble and tell it right out. You will find 
forgiveness and loving aid. Now look at the first chapter of 
Paul, Second Epistle to Timothy. A great many predict that 
these young converts will fall away. Perhaps some will. The 
parable of the sower is as true to-day as it was when Christ first 
spoke it. But if some seeds have fallen on stony ground or 



404 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

among thorns, is it any sign that God is not able to keep what has 
been committed to Him ? He is able to grant all our wants and 
to aid us under all circumstances. You may tremble when you 
look into your own heart, but you can't tremble when you look 
towards God. The Bank of England is protected by soldiers, 
who march around it all night long; so the moment your eyes are 
closed in sleep, God's angels are guarding you. Now, what I par- 
ticularly want to say to young converts is to become united to 
some church. If you have got your arm around the cross, don't 
go to sleep there, forgetful of all others, but while clinging with 
one hand, reach with the other down into the water and help to 
save some one else who is struggling in the waves. One danger 
which young converts always meet is found in spiritual pride, 
which the devil instils into their hearts. Another danger is the 
possibility of becoming lukewarm and losing all pride in the work 
of God. Let ' Word and Work ' be our watchword. If you 
neglect either the one or the other you won't be successful. But 
he who holds the word in one hand and works with the other 
must advance nearer and nearer to the Throne." In closing, he 
said : " I hate to say farewell. I hate to leave you. The hardest 
part of our work is when we have to say farewell to those we have 
prayed with and wept with. Let us pray that God rgay lift us 
higher and higher. May God bless you ; may God keep you. 
Keep close to the Saviour ; try to follow Him closer and closer 
every day. I don't like the word farewell. I'll bid you good- 
night, and by the grace of God I want to meet you in the morn- 
ing where night can never come and farewells are never needed." 
As Mr. Moody ceased, Mr. Sankey touched a few familiar notes 
on the organ, and in the next moment began in a trembling voice 
a farewell hymn set to the tune of " Home, Sweet Home." The 
scene was an affecting one, and many were the glistening eyes 
among the thousands who seemed to have forgotten that the 
evangelists were ever to depart. A few moments were next 
spent in silent prayer, after which the congregation and choir 
sang in unison " The Sweet Bye and Bye," filling the vast audi- 
torium with floods of musical sound. The benediction was then 
pronounced, and the audience gradually dispersed. 



THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 405 

The furniture, partitions, floorings, platforms, etc., of the Depot 
Building were sold at auction the next morning, and realized 
$3,100. On many of the articles there was a very lively competi- 
tion. 'This was especially the case in regard to the chairs which 
had been occupied during some period of the revival meetings by 
prominent individuals. President Grant's chair was knocked 
down to Mr. John Wanamaker for $25 ; Mr. Moody's chair to Mr. 
Stuart for $55 ; Mr. Sankey's chair to Mr. Field for $55 ; Mr. 
Stuart's chair to Mr. Field, for $26 ; Dr. Newton's chair to Mr. 
Stuart for $25 ; Mr. John Wanamaker's chair to Mr. Field for 
$47.50; Mr. Thomas Scott's chair to Mr. Whitney for $20 y 
Governor Hartranft's chair to Mr. John Wanamaker for $5;; 
Speaker Blaine's chair to Mr. Field for $5 ; the chief usher's 
chair to Mr. Stuart for $15. 

Mr. Moody's platform, Bible rest, crimson plush on the pulpit, 
with a piece of ingrain carpet and speaking tube, were sold to 
Mr. Baily for $125 ; the towel used by Mr. Moody brought $5, 
and Mr. Sankey's $5.50; twenty-four car mats were sold to Mr. 
Davis for $69.75; a Windsor settee to Mr. Manly for $27; the 
dismissing gong to Mr. Stuart for $10 ; Mr. Baily bought a lounge 
for $16; six walnut cane-seat chairs for $15; a washstand for 
$10.50, and a walnut office table for $18 ; Mr. Stuart bought two 
walnut cane-seat chairs for $12; Mr. Marshall bought a walnut 
and green reps Spanish chair for $17 ; a set of stone china toilet 
ware was sold to Mr. Johnson for $10, and a looking-glass to Mr. 
Stuart for $6.50. There were a large number of articles sold, 
and the prices obtained were good. 

As a fitting close of this re'sume* of the course of meetings in 
Philadelphia, we append the remarks of Geo. H. Stuart in New 
York: 

In October last in our city we attempted a great work for God. 
Some had high expectations that it would redound largely to the 
glory of Heaven. They saw a deep spirit of prayer among the 
clergymen and members of the churches. And what has been the 
result ? It has far exceeded the highest hopes of the most san- 
guine. We had little thought to see a hall, one-half larger than 



406 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

yours, filled to overflowing every Sabbath with from 7,000 to 
13,000 people, who came to hear "the old, old story of Jesus and 
His love." God had heard our prayer, and His work has been 
continued in all our churches. In my own church — an old 
Scotch church, which has been little disposed to unite in such 
religious movements — I have seen what I have never seen before 
during the forty years that I have known it. At the morning 
meetings in the depot church on Sundays, the early hour at which 
people came was remarkable. The watchman has told me he saw 
men gathering there as early as 4:30 o'clock in the morning ; and 
on cold mornings in January, the throng was so great at six 
o'clock that he was obliged to open the doors. My church has 
had but two pastors in seventy-five years, and on Sunday next it 
will hold a special communion service — something it has not 
known in years — and fifty-five new communicants will be there. 
Two-thirds of them are young men. I know a merchant of your 
city who was led into the meetings in Philadelphia, and is now 
reclaimed from a long career of intemperance. I now have in 
my pocket a letter from his sister, expressing gratitude for what 
God has done for her brother. My friends, there never was 
such a time as the present for work — work, work, work, is the 
motto. We in Philadelphia have followed these brethren here in 
our prayers. But much will remain for others besides them to 
do. O, may you all learn to carry this lamp of salvation into the 
brothels, and houses of shame, and scenes of iniquity, and all 
dark corners in this great and wicked city. 



THE PRINCETON REVIVAL. 407 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
The Princeton Revival. 

Princeton is one of the old towns of New Jersey, famous for 
being the seat of learning where the Presbyterians of this region 
and the South chiefly educate their sons. A correspondent, of 
February tenth, said : 

God's spirit is still doing wondrous things for us. Almost 
every one is awakened. Our prayer-meetings are filled to over- 
flowing, and are characterized by great earnestness and power. 
Those who have lately found Christ are very earnest in leading 
their associates to seek Him. We hope and pray that not a 
single one will be left out of the fold. The visit of Messrs. 
Moody and Sankey has been blessed to us all. 

The oldest professors tell us that this is the most gracious 
revival the college has ever witnessed. There have already been 
over eighty conversions ; but we hope for still greater things. 

This reference to the evangelists makes it needful to rehearse 
more fully their relations to this great work in that intellectual 
community. And we are again reminded of what has been well 
touched by a secular paper : 

It is a little difficult to explain or analyze the success of these 
evangelists. We rather incline to the explanation which Mr. 
Moody himself always offers, that he is only the mouthpiece and 
expression of a deep and mysterious wave of religious feeling 
now passing over the nation. The disasters and disappoint- 
ments of the year, the reaction against the skepticism and the 
selfish greed of the day, the deep religious sentiment lying at 
the bottom of the American character, and the eternal wants of 
the human heart, have prepared the minds of the people for a 
profound religious transformation or impulse. 

The clay after the final farewell at Philadelphia, the brethren 



408 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

were taken to Princeton, and held a few meetings there. In the 
narrative that follows, we see how the way had been prepared : 

The revival influence at work among the students is one of 
notable power. The movement is of recent origin. While 
Messrs. Moody and Sankey were in Philadelphia the students 
indicated to President McCosh their very general desire that 
the evangelists should be invited to spend a day at the college. 
The Doctor gladly undertook to extend the invitation. Visiting 
the gentlemen at Philadelphia, he obtained from them a promise 
that they should spend the " Day of Prayer for Colleges " at 
Princeton. Mr. Moody, however, having to go to Florida, was 
unable to fulfill his engagement. Then said the students, " Let 
us go on, as we are, and if we cannot have Mr. Moody, let us 
beseech the presence of the Lord." With this mind they initi- 
ated a movement which has had its fruit in an almost unprece- 
dented interest in spiritual things, heightening and spreading day 
by day, and yet on the increase. Rev. Dr. W. M. Taylor, of 
New York, and Dr. Cuyler have been here addressing the stu- 
dents. On the occasion of the visit of the latter nearly a hun- 
dred rose for prayer in response to his appeals. This is perhaps 
the most opportune moment for the coming of Messrs. Moody 
and Sankey. A student said to me, " It is better that they 
should come now than that they should have come before, for 
now the harvest is ripe." 

That an extraordinary condition of spiritual awakening is 
prevalent was at once manifest when hymn after hymn was given 
out and caught by the waiting multitude, to pass the time until 
Mr. Moody should arrive. And the vigor and enthusiasm with 
which the melodies were rendered betokened a more than su- 
perficial acquaintance with the " Sacred Songs and Solos." 
The sonorous voices of the students — bass, tenor, and baritone 
—blending together in pleasant harmony, and the evident im- 
pulse and heart with which they sang, produced a fine effect, and 
made music with a ring that meant something. 

Messrs. Moody and Sankey stepped upon the platform about 
half-past seven. With them were seated Rev. Dr. McCorkle, 
pastor of the church ; Rev. Dr. McDonald, of the First Presby- 






THE PRINCETON REVIVAL. 409 

terian Church ; Professors Aiken and Green, and Mr. G. H. 
Stuart. Dr. McCosh sat with the audience in front of the 
pulpit. 

" Come, Thou fount of every blessing," was the opening hymn, 
Mr. Sankey leading at a portable organ. After prayer by one 
of the clergy, Mr. Sankey sang the " Ninety and Nine " with his 
accustomed effect. It was listened to in intense silence. 

Mr. Moody said he would take a subject rather than a text. 
He understood that there had been quite a religious awakening 
in the place, and no doubt many were asking the question 
"Why should I be interested in the Son of God." For this 
reason he wished to speak to them upon " What Christ is to 
us." First, said he, Christ is a Saviour. He is a Saviour be- 
cause man wanted a Saviour, and God, knowing that want, pro- 
vided for it. And Christ is a Saviour to all. No one yet ever 
came to Him and was cast out. He is also a deliverer. When 
we are saved, that is not all. We have only commenced our 
warfare against sin. Satan snares us again and again into his 
toils, but Christ is almighty to set us free. He is the Way. 
When a person is just converted he says : " What church shall 
I join. There are the Methodists and the Presbyterians, and 
the Episcopalians, each claiming to be the true church. What 
am I to do?" Christ says "I am the way." He will be to 
the guideless one as the cloud and the pillar of fire to the wan- 
dering Israelites. Some think we are getting wiser than the 
Bible — it might do for the dark ages, but this is a time of en- 
lightenment. I always say to these people, " Bring me a better 
book than the Bible and I will throw it away." You might as 
well say, " What splendid gas we have now. Let us build all 
our churches and houses without windows. We don't want the 
sun any more. It was good enough for our fathers, but we 
have something better." The illustration was well received. 
The audience saw its aptness, and smiled assent to its force. 
Young man, said Mr. Moody, your mother was right. Don't 
give up your mother's Bible, or your mother's God. Look at 
those who have cut loose from the old moorings. How do they 
die ? and how does the Christian die ? Take Christ for your 
18 



4IO MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

guide. He has been down here and blazed out the way, as 
they say out West, and all we have to do is to follow. Mr. 
Moody here told with great effect the story of the man whose 
child was dead, but who saw in a dream his little one in a 
beautiful land, radiant and happy, and saw her beckon him to 
come to her — his futile effort to do so, and his hearing the voice 
of Christ saying to him " I am the way." The impression pro- 
duced was profound. Many were bathed in tears. But, said 
the speaker, Christ is also the Light. This he illustrated by 
telling of a man climbing a high mountain to see the sun rise. 
A storm raged so furiously that he would fain have retraced his 
steps. " No," said the guide, " we'll soon be above the storm." 
A little higher up they found themselves where no rain had 
been and whence looking down upon the wild play of lightning 
and turmoil of elements, they were quickly bathed in the rays 
of an unhidden sun. So with the Christian. Above the storm 
is light and peace, and the higher one climbs above the en- 
tanglements of earth, the surer he will be to catch the sun's 
earliest cheer. " All moonshine " some say of religion. 
Thank you for the compliment. The moon reflects the light 
of the sun, and Christians do, or should do the same thing pre- 
cisely, reflecting the light diffused upon them. He told the 
story of the blind man carrying a lantern that others might not 
stumble upon him, to show the importance of our taking care 
to be living epistles, and lights rather than stumbling-blocks in 
the way of others. In contrasting the death of the righteous 
and unsaved, he related the affecting war incident in which a 
young man dying from his battle-wound sends to his mother 
and sisters his last message : " Tell them I died trusting in 
Christ — tell them to be sure and meet me in heaven." 

The students seemed much interested in the recital, and the 
effect was marked. Going on to speak of skeptics, Mr. Moody 
said that, unlike many, he had much sympathy for honest 
doubters, but he had only one word for them all. If they seek 
wisdom, let them come to God, who " giveth liberally and up- 
braideth not." His remarks upon this point were admirably 
calculated for such of the students as might have been inclined 



THE PRINCETON REVIVAL. 411 

to cavilling. If they were as they usually profess, only seeking 
truth, he told them where to apply for it. Lastly, he presented 
Christ as our Burden-bearer, and appealed to his hearers, if 
they were burdened with a load of any kind, to roll it off upon 
Him. If it were a load of sin, did He not take all our sins on 
His own shoulders, and bear them for us upon the tree ? Was 
it any other care or trouble, is anything too great for Him to 
carry? He might go on, did not time forbid, to speak of Him 
as our Advocate, our Surety, our Justification, our Sanctification 
— yea our all in all. Surely it is downright madness to turn 
away from such a friend. Oh, might they see Him as the one 
altogether lovely, the bright and morning star. 

Mr. Sankey sang "Go Bury Thy Sorrow " with exquisite 
pathos, and Rev. Dr. McDonald pronounced the benediction. 

Mr. Moody was announced to speak to the students at nine 
in the morning. At that hour the apartment was densely crowded 
with young students to the number of about five hundred. 
There were present of the faculty : President McCosh, Profes- 
sors Green, Hodge, Alexander, Aiken, Macloskie, Duffield, 
Cameron and Hunt. Mr. Moody arrived in ill-condition, hav- 
ing a severe headache. The room was a little chilly, and as its 
smallness compelled him to speak in a much more subdued 
tone than he is accustomed to, circumstances did not seem to 
favor the production of any remarkable impression. 

Mr. Sankey sang " Free from the law; oh happy condition," 
as a solo, the audience uniting in the chorus. 

Prof. Macloskie said prayers were requested for two mem- 
bers of the junior class, and then led in a brief petition. 

Mr. Moody read Romans hi., 10-22, and proceeded to preach 
his well-known discourse on " For there is no difference." 
The series of happy illustrations, which will recur to our read- 
ers, with which he is wont to make clear the equality of man- 
kind before God, the depravity of his nature, and his need of 
some means to bring him out of condemnation, were quickly 
apprehended, and well appreciated by the students. Once in a 
While as something particularly quaint would escape Mr. Moody's 
lips, a ripple of merriment would pass over the congregation, 



412 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

but so far from levity, it was an expression of sympathy with 
the speaker's broad and kindly humor, and of that pleasure 
which we all experience when an illustration is strikingly origi- 
nal, and when in connection with its accompanying truth it 
seems particularly " pat." But in his pathetic mood, in the 
relation of war tales and incidents having to do with domestic 
concernments, the effect he produced was even more pronounced. 
If professors and students seem all intellect, under Mr. Moody's 
spell they quickly betray that they have tenderest heart§. Grey- 
browed dignitaries wept to-day with the youngest freshmen. 
When at the close of his exhortation Mr. Moody requested 
such as desired to be remembered in prayer to rise, fifteen 
students, regardless of any presence, responded ; and when he 
wished the Christians in the room who desired to be endued 
with more consecration to rise also, the audience seemed to 
spring to their feet en masse, the merest fraction retaining their 
seats. Surely the Lord is working here, and moving in 
His might. 

Fully half an hour before the time for commencing the after- 
noon meeting (3.30) the Second Presbyterian church w r as 
packed in every part. All the afternoon, sleighs came in from 
the country, bringing their burdens from far and near, and as 
soon as the church doors were opened continuous processions 
-filed through them and quickly filled up the building. The 
inevitable confusion resultant upon trying to find every one 
seats or even standing accommodation, ensued. Chairs were 
handed about over people's heads, all manner of pushing and 
crowding occurred, and a good deal of jostling pleasantly sub- 
mitted to. The interval before the hour of opening was spent 
in singing a number of hymns, and in occasional supplication 
in the words of several of the clergymen present. 

At half-past three Mr. Sankey, with Messrs. Stuart and Cree, 
of Philadelphia, entered. Mr. Stuart announced that in conse- 
quence of indisposition Mr. Moody would be unable just then 
to participate. He asked Mr. Sankey to take charge of the 
meeting until Mr. Moody should arrive, in case he should be 
able to attend. 






THE PRINCETON REVIVAL. 413 

Mr. Sankey gave out the hymn, " I need Thee every hour," 
which was sung by the audience standing. Prayer was offered 
by Dr. Aiken. 

Mr. Sankey said he would sing " Jesus of Nazareth passeth 
by." He related an incident that had in his mind entwined 
itself around it. It was that of the young man in Brooklyn 
who had promised his old mother in Dundee that he would 
attend Mr. Moody's meetings if he had opportunity, and who 
consequently frequented the meetings at the Rink and was 
converted. " Too late — too late ! " in this little song were the 
words that reached his heart. The solo was then rendered in 
Mr. Sankey's most fervent manner. 

Mr. T. K. Cree, of Philadelphia, gave some account of the 
work and the harvest in that city, comparing the numbers that 
thronged the depot with the present gathering, to afford some 
realization of the magnitude of the former. He proceeded to 
speak upon the utility of the inquiry room and the value of 
individual effort, urging the people of Princeton to make use of 
these most important means of influence. He gave a number 
of practical hints to further the success of any such measures, 
and closed with an appeal to the unconverted. 

The hymn " Hallelujah, 'tis done," was sung by Mr. Sankey, 
the audience taking up the chorus with great spirit. 

Mr. Stuart here said he had just received a message from 
Mr. Moody, stating that he was hungry for work, and that 
while he could not come to this meeting, his presence might be 
relied upon this evening. 

Mr. Stuart proceeded to supplement Mr. Cree's report of 
the awakening in Philadelphia by telling in glowing terms of 
its extent and power as he had observed it. He also laid great 
stress on the value of inquiry meetings. They had been of vast 
benefit to the Christians of his city in entangling them into 
actual contact with sinners, and imbuing them with a love of 
the work. 

" In fact," said he, "I am not ashamed to say to you here at 
Princeton that during my forty-three years of God's service I 
never knew what Christian life was until within the last nine 



414 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

weeks." He gave a number of instances indicating how wide- 
spread and unmistakable have been the fruits of the great cam- 
paign. In closing, he made a stirring appeal to newly converted 
Christians to be alive to the rescue of their fellows, and then to 
the unsaved, whom he entreated most affectionately to accept 
redemption. 

The impulse thus given to the revival carried it forward until 
a very thorough renovation took place, so that a well-informed 
observer writes : 

The revival in Princeton college is regarded as one of the 
most remarkable means of grace now transpiring, or that has 
taken place for many years in college life. There are nearly 
five hundred students in that institution. Fully one hundred 
conversions are said to have taken place since the week of 
prayer. And the college officers declare that at this time there 
is scarcely a student who is not more or less serious on the 
subject of his personal salvation. Before the work began, there 
were about one hundred professed Christians among the stu- 
dents, but in a generally cold state. The week of prayer wit- 
nessed a quickening among these, and they resolved that each 
one would labor personally and earnestly with some one of the 
unconverted to bring them to Christ. By the blessing of God 
this personal Christian labor has resulted in the wonderful work 
of saving grace now witnessed. 

Mr. Moody himself said in his first sermon in New York : 

I have just come from Princeton, and I must confess that I 
have not seen anything in America that has pleased me like 
what I have seen in Princeton. They have got a Holy Ghost 
revival there. The President of the college told me he had 
never seen anything like it, and one of the faculty told me he 
had never seen anything like it in Princeton. Well, I inquired 
into it and I found that they had been disappointed and could 
get nobody to come, and so they determined to hold meetings 
themselves, and they did, and one of the faculty got up and 
asked them to pray for him, and right there the work broke 
out and there have been brought back to the fold of Christ fifty 



THE PRINCETON REVIVAL. 415 

within the last few days, and it looks now as if all Princeton 
was going to be blessed. 

I saw more zeal when I was in Princeton last Sunday than I 
have in many a year. I was talking to the students there about 
their souls, and after I had been talking for some time, quite a 
group of young men gathered around me, and the moment that 
one of them made a surrender and said, " Well I will accept 
Christ," it seemed as if there were twenty-five hands pressed 
right down to shake hands with him. Tha^t is what we want — 
men that will rejoice to hear of the conversion of men. 

To the depth and vitality of the work, we are able to add this 
crowning testimony : Our prayer meetings are largely attended 
and marked by a deep and quiet solemnity. We have reached 
that stage in the work which the early Church experienced im- 
mediately after the day of Pentecost, when souls were added 
to the church daily. 

One by one, those of whose conversion we had almost de- 
spaired, rise to tell us of their hope in -a newly found Saviour. 
Croakers and scoffers have been put to silence by the stead- 
fastness of the converts. Men enslaved to habit, whose college 
life had been characterized by every species of excess, are now 
" careful to depart from all iniquity," and have become active 
workers in the cause of Christ. Skeptics seek in vain a solution 
of such phenomena. It is the " mystery of godliness." 

From this centre of religious influence a spirit of revival has 
radiated into many hearts, homes and churches of the land. 
We are now hearing from numbers of churches blessed with rich 
outpourings of the Spirit, begun by the simple accounts given 
by the students of the gracious work here. Some of the stu- 
dents devoted the vacation of two weeks exclusively to such 
work, in the churches of their respective homes and elsewhere, 
and God has blessed these humble efforts to the conversion of 
many souls. 



416 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

The Hippodrome of New York. 

A clergyman writing to Philadelphia gives a graphic sketch : 

As in Philadelphia, the location of our Tabernacle is in the 
very centre of the city, accessible from every direction by all 
classes. On one side of it lie the homes of wealth, the avenues 
of fashion, and the great hotels, on the other the masses of the 
middle classes, and a little beyond, the crowded abodes of the 
poor and the dens of wretchedness and vice. It is the old de- 
pot of the Harlem Railroad, and occupies the block bounded 
by Madison and Fourth Avenues and Twenty-sixth and Twenty- 
seventh streets. It was the scene of Barnum's great pageant, 
and subsequently of Gilmore's monster concerts. It is about 
one-fourth larger than your " Depot Church." Mr. Varley 
preached here for several Sabbaths, the first occasion being a 
wonder to every one. On a- wild and stormy winter's night, 
fifteen thousand people crowded the place, while multitudes were 
unable to gain entrance. Frequently then the roar of the wild 
beasts would be heard mingling with the singing and prayers. 

The committee have rented this structure at one thousand 
five hundred dollars a week and spent ten thousand dollars in 
fitting it for the meetings. It has been divided into two great 
halls, one seating six thousand five hundred, the other four thou- 
sand, while between there is a wide space inclosed for inquiry- 
rooms and for the evangelists, with a passage from one to the other 
for their use. It is expected that after speaking in the large 
room Mr. Moody and Mr. Sankey will pass over to the other or 
overflow meeting, where meantime addresses and prayers are to 
be made by clergymen and laymen, chosen for their adaptation 
to such work. 

The appearance of the rooms is warm and business-like. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 417 

There will not be the vast sea of twelve thousand faces as in 
Philadelphia, but it is thought more effective work can be done 
with a more limited number. No tickets are issued to the gen- 
eral public. Except the " workers " and choir, all are on a par 
in this respect, welcome, up to the capacity of the building. 

It was not a pleasant thing for our metropolitan Christians to 
be compelled to wait till Brooklyn and Philadelphia had been 
visited by the evangelists, before our turn would come. But 
the Lord has had better thoughts concerning us than our own. 
The interval has been a season of instruction and preparation 
such as cannot fail to render their labors among us far more 
fruitful than they could otherwise have been. On the one hand 
the edge of mere curiosity has been dulled and the glamour of 
novelty been dispelled. Much has been learned by us from the 
experience of our two neighboring cities, both of the hindrances 
and the helps to a solid success. Plenty of time for preparatory 
work on the part of our committees has been allowed, and as 
for our churches, the Lord has been anointing them with fresh 
oil and girding them with power by a spiritual refreshing and 
quickening, so that while we are disposed to lean less upon these 
beloved men, we are yet in more thorough sympathy with their 
spirit, and welcome them with a chastened joy and solemn 
earnestness which we might not otherwise have felt. 

Many Christians are already full of work in gathering a har- 
vest in their own congregations ; so there will be more room for 
the unconverted to fill the seats at the Hippodrome, while meet- 
ings will be so regulated in the different churches as to allow 
efficient cooperation on the part of the pastors and devout men 
and women with the general work of the evangelists. Already 
a band of several hundred have consecrated themselves to the 
special duties of the inquiry- room. They represent all evangel- 
ical denominations, and all our prominent churches, and have 
been under training for weeks past through lectures from expe- 
rienced pastors in Dr. Ormiston's church, which has been crowd- 
ed by those anxious to hear the most practical truths connected 
with directing the soul to its Saviour. Meantime a fragrant 
cloud of prayer has been ascending from our home altars, our 
18* 



418 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

noon-day meetings (of which we have had four in different parts 
of the city), and from all our churches, that the Lord would 
work mightily. We firmly believe that the day of Pentecost has 
fully come. 

A preparatory meeting was held Sabbath evening for dedica- 
tion of the building and consecration of the laborers. Wm. E. 
Dodge, chairman of the general committee, presided. About 
one thousand five hundred were present, it being a stormy night 
and the meeting held at 9 o'clock. There was nothing formal. 
Bishop James, the Rev. Drs. Paxton, T. D. Anderson, and 
Tucker, Gen. Clinton B. Fisk, the Rev. Dr. C. C. Tiffany, and 
others, engaged in prayer and tender appeal, all breathing the 
spirit of utter dependence on the Infinite arm, and travailing for 
the souls of sinners. 

Monday night a dense mass of people blocked the streets in 
the vicinity of the Hippodrome. In twenty minutes after the 
opening of the doors seven thousand people were quietly seated, 
or standing in the main hall, and four thousand in the other ; 
while several thousand lingered around the doors to catch the 
echo of the speakers and the singers. 

The audience represented mainly the middle and upper classes 
of our population, and appeared about equally divided between 
church people and the irreligious. There was, however, a pre- 
vailing atmosphere of seriousness rather than of curiosity. On 
the platform the pastors of the city were largely represented, and 
a choir of five hundred were at the left of the speaker's stand. 
In many respects the arrangements for ushers and telegraphic 
communication are the same as in Philadelphia. Promptly at 
8 o'clock, Messrs. Moody and Sankey appear on the platform. 
They do not seem at all worn with their previous labors. " Let 
us all bow our heads in silent prayer," is Mr. Moody's first 
utterance, and instantly, as when a wind sweeps over a field of 
grain, all are bowed and a thrilling stillness follows. Then 
" Jesus lover of my soul," rings out. Bishop Janes leads in 
prayer ; " Hold the Fort " wakes the echoes of the room and 
stirs the blood of thousands and is followed by the sweet song 
significant at this moment, "What shall the Harvest be?" 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 419 

Tears are in many eyes. And now Mr. Moody announces his 
text, " But God hath chosen the weak things of the world to 
confound the things that are mighty." 

Just as we expected, his theme was the plan of God to work 
powerfully through human weakness, that the glory may be his. 
He warned them against dependence on crowds, or instruments, 
or accessions. Urged them to crucify the great " I," to have our 
face in the dust that we may receive God's message and proclaim 
it with success. I cannot give a description of the sermon ; they 
who have heard the like do not need it. Every one feels that the 
meeting was all that could be desired for tone and spiritual vigor. 
Mr. Moody has improved surprisingly in his delivery. When 
in Brooklyn he spoke 220 words per minute. Last evening he 
spoke only about 180. Moreover, the arrangement of his topics 
has more system than heretofore, and his first effort in this city 
was much more powerful than the first one in Brooklyn. The 
closing part was the best, and at the culminating point a chorus 
of " amens " came from all parts of the vast assembly, and when 
he said " O may the spirit of Elisha rest upon us here," the full 
force of his remarks fell with great power upon the congregation. 
Additional experience has improved Mr. Moody very materially. 
It is the testimony of his friends that the more he preaches the 
better he preaches. Years ago he stammered badly, but has 
continually been improving, and in other respects he is growing 
stronger and more intense. There is the same deep faith in the 
power of Christianity to save the world from sorrow and sin, but 
it glows with an intense flame. His faith is a living one. It 
is a power, active on all occasions, and which at no time grows 
cold or lifeless. 

If it was a surprise to the journalist that thousands should 
pour out on a wintry night to the cheerless Hippodrome, which 
is one of the monuments of the career of the gigantic humbug 
of the generation, to hear the Scriptures expounded by this 
uncouth exhorter, this wonder must have grown when the same 
vast throng crowded the places of meeting the next day and 
evening, and continued to do so for months. Many a circum- 
stance clearly proved that the central figure was the earnest 









420 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

talker. In his sermon on "faith " he related thrilling incidents 
and made powerful appeals. 

When I was at Nashville, during our late war, I was closing 
the noon prayer-meeting one day and a great strong man came 
up to me, trembling from head to foot. He took a letter out of 
his pocket and wanted to have me read it. It was a letter from 
his sister. The sister stated in that letter that every night as 
the sun went down she went on her knees to pray for him. The 
sister was six hundred miles away, and said the soldier, " I never 
thought of my soul until last night. I have stood before the 
cannon's mouth and it never made me tremble, but, sir, I 
haven't slept a wink since I got that letter." I think there is 
many a Christian here who understands what that letter meant. 
The Lord had seen her faith. It was God honoring faith, and 
it was God answering prayer. And so, my friends, if God sees 
our faith, these friends that we are anxious for will be brought 
to Christ. 

Let us go out and bring all our friends here, and if there is 
poor preaching, we can bring down from Heaven the necessary 
blessings without good preaching. In Philadelphia a skeptic 
came in just out of curiosity. He wanted to see the crowd, and 
he hadn't more than crossed the threshold of the door before 
the Spirit of God met him, and I asked him if there was any- 
thing in the sermon that influenced him,*in hopes that I was 
going to get something to encourage me ; but he could not tell 
what the text was. I asked him if it was the singing, but he. 
didn't know what Mr. Sankey had sung. It was the power of 
God alone, that converted him, and that is what we want in 
these meetings. If we have this power, when we invite our 
friends here, the Lord will meet them and will apswer prayer 
and save them. Let us go and bring our unconverted friends 
here. All through the services let us be lifting up our hearts 
in prayer, God save our friend ! O God, convert him ! And 
in answer to our prayer the Lord will save them. 

While in London there was a man away off in India— a godly 
father— who had a son in London, and he got a furlough and 
came from India to London to see after his son's spiritual wel- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 42 I 

fare. Do you think God let that man come thus far without 
honoring that faith. No. He converted that son, and that is 
the kind we want — where faith and works go together ; and if 
we have faith God will honor it and answer our prayer. Only 
a few years ago in the city of Philadelphia there was a mother 
that had two sons. They were just going as fast as they could 
to ruin. They were breaking her heart, and she went into a 
little prayer-meeting and got up and presented them for prayer. 
They had been on a drunken spree or had just got started in 
that way, and she knew that their end would be a drunkard's 
grave, and she went among these Christians and said, " Won't 
you just cry to God for my two boys " ? The next morning 
those two boys had made an appointment to meet each other 
on the corner of Market and Thirteenth-sts. — though not that 
they knew anything about our meeting — and while one of them 
was there at the corner, waiting for his brother to come, he fol- 
lowed the people who were flooding into the depot building, 
and the spirit of the Lord met him, and he was wounded and 
found his way to Christ. After his brother came, he found the 
place too crowded to enter, so he too went curiously into an- 
other meeting and found Christ, and went home happy; and 
when he got home he told his mother what the Lord had done 
for him, and the second son came in with the same tidings. I 
heard one get up afterward to tell his experience in the young 
converts' meeting, and he had no sooner told the story than 
the other got up and said : " I am that brother, and there is not 
a happier home in Philadelphia than we have got ; " and they 
went out, bringing their friends to Christ. 

Let us now show our faith by our works. Let us away to 
our friends, to our neighbors, and to those we have an influence 
over, and let us talk about Christ and let us plead with God 
that they may be converted, and instead of there being a few 
thousand converted in New York, tens of thousands can be con- 
verted ; and let our prayers go up to God in our homes and 
around our family altars. Let the prayers go up, ' ; O, God, 
save my unconverted husband." " O, God, save my uncon- 
verted wife." "O, God, save my unconverted children," and 



42 2 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

God will hear that cry. As I was coming out of a daily prayer- 
meeting in one of our Western cities, a mother came up to me 
and said, " I want to have you see my husband and ask him to 
come to Christ." I took out my memorandum book, and I put 
down his name. She says, " I want to have you go and see 
him." I knew the name and that it was a learned judge, and 
so said to her, " I can't argue with him. He is a good deal 
older than I am and it would be out of place. Then I am not 
much for infidel argument." " Well, Mr. Moody," she says, 
" that ain't what he wants. He's got enough of that. Just ask 
him to come to the Saviour." She urged me so hard and so 
strong, that I consented to go. I went up to the office, where 
the Judge was doing business, to tell him what I had come for. 
He laughed at me. "You are very foolish," he said, and be- 
gan to argue with me. I said, " I don't think it will be profit- 
able for me to hold an argument with you. I have just one 
favor I want to ask of you, and that is that when you are con- 
verted you will let me know. v " Yes," said he, " I will do that. 
When I am converted I will let you know " — with a good deal 
of sarcasm. I thought the prayers of that wife would be an- 
swered if mine were not. A year and a half after I was in that 
city, and a servant came to my door and said : " There is a man 
in the drawing-room." I found the Judge there. He said : " I 
promised to let you know when I was converted." I had heard 
it from other lips, but I wanted to hear it from his own. He 
said his wife had gone out to a meeting one night and he was 
home alone, and while he was sitting there by the fire he thought, 
" Supposing my wife is right, and my children are right ; sup- 
pose there is a heaven and hell, and I shall be separated from 
them." His first thought was, "I don't believe a word of it." 
The second thought came, " You believe in the God that created 
you, and that the God that created you is able to teach you.: 
You believe that God can give you life." "Yes, the God that 
created me can give me life. I was too proud to get down on 
my knees by the fire, and I said, ' O, God, teach me.' And as 
I prayed, I don't understand it, but it began to get very dark, 
and my heart got very heavy. I was afraid to tell my wife, and 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 423 

I pretended to be asleep. She kneeled down beside that bed, 
and I knew that she was praying for me. I kept crying, ' O 
God, teach me.' I had to change my prayer, ' O God, save 
me j O God, take away this burden.' But it grew darker and 
darker, and the load grew heavier and heavier. All the way 
to my office I kept crying, ' O God, take away this load.' I 
gave my clerks a holiday, and just closed my office and locked 
the door. I fell down on my face ; I cried in agony to my Lord, 
' O Lord, for Christ's sake take away this guilt.' I don't know 
how it was, but it began to grow very light. I said, ' I wonder 
if this isn't what they call conversion. I think I will go and 
ask the minister if I am not converted." The old Judge said 
to me : " Mr Moody, I have enjoyed life in the last three months 
more than all put together." The Judge did not believe. The 
wife did, and God honored her faith and saved that man. And 
he went up to Springfield, 111., and the old Judge stood up there 
and told those politicians what God, for Christ's sake, had 
done for him. And now let this text sink down deep into your 
hearts : " When He saw their faith." Let us lift up our hearts 
to God in prayer that He may give us faith. 

At the prayer-meeting at noon Mr. Moody, before reading 
the Psalm said : Now let us at once get down to ourselves. 
If we are only quickened and revived ourselves as Christians, 
there will be no trouble about reaching the world. In this fifty- 
first Psalm the Psalmist thirty-three times refers to himself. He 
is not praying for the Church now, not praying for Jerusalem 
now, not praying for His kingdom now, but praying for himself. 
It is a good thing sometimes to get home to ourselves, especially 
we that are engaged in working for our brothers. While we 
are looking after the vineyards of others, we sometimes neglect 
ourselves. It does us good sometimes just to get down to our- 
selves. While reading the psalm, Mr. Moody stopped short 
at the passage, " Create a clean heart in me, O God ! and re- 
new a right spirit within me," and said : 

It seems as if here is where we might well stop and say a 
word. Fs our heart clean in the sight of God ? Has He re- 
newed a right spirit within as ? Do we show that in our home, 



424 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

in our daily life, in our business, and in our contact with 
others ? If we do not, it seems to me it is better to be praying 
for ourselves than for others, that the world may see that we 
have been with God's spirit. If we are a great way from Christ 
in all our ways, our words will be cold and empty, and we can- 
not reach the world. There is power enough in this room to 
move all New York if we had the right spirit and clean hearts. 
A friend of mine told me he had been preaching some time with- 
out seeing any result in his church, and he began to cry to God 
that he might have a blessing in his church. He said weeks 
went on and the answer didn't come, and he felt as if he must 
either have a blessing or give up the ministry. He must have 
souls or die, and he said that on one Sunday he threw himself 
on his knees in his study and cried to God : Oh, God ! break 
this heart of mine and give me a contrite spirit. Just at this 
moment he heard a faint rap at the door, and opening it, his 
little child, four years old, entered. She had heard her father's 
prayer, and she said : " Father, I wish you would pray for me. 
I want a clean heart." " And," said he, " God broke my heart, 
and at the next meeting there were forty inquirers, after that 
one sermon. " Oh, that our hearts may be tender, and may we 
know what it is to have broken hearts and contrite spirits. " 

Mr. Sankey said he desired to call attention to that part of 
the psalm commencing, " Restore to us the joy of thy salva- 
tion." The audience now became expectant at the prospect of 
hearing this evangelist speak, as he rarely makes addresses at 
the revival meetings. He told the story of a minister in Lon- 
don who was with them in their work. " He had been working 
with us," said the singer, " and yet did not seem to have any 
joy and happiness, but was sad and weary-looking, and I 
noticed that the burden of his prayer was, " Restore unto us 
the joy of thy salvation ; " but I also observed that when the 
inquirers of God were going into the inquiry-room to be spoken 
with, that dear man of God took his hat and went home. He 
may have gone home to pray, but he didn't seem to have any 
joy for a long time. One evening, instead of going home, he 
took his hat and went into the inquiry-room to labor for the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 425 

Lord there, and who should sit down opposite in that crowded 
inquiry-room but his own son that he had been praying for for 
years ! God directed him to that chair, and he spoke to the 
boy arid knelt down and prayed with him and God blessed the 
son there, and the father came back the next day and looked 
as if God had restored to him the joy of his salvation, and he 
stood up and tola! the story whenever he went to work for 
Jesus in the vineyard, and wherever he went God blessed him, 
and joy was restored. I hope it will be so here that instead of 
waiting and watching for feeling, we will go to the work each 
one of us and see if God will not restore to us speedily the joy 
of his salvation, and may be we will see some of our own dear 
sons that are here to-day." 

The Rev. William Lloyd gave his experience of the efficacy 
of prayer. He said that a few months ago during service in 
his church an aged man stood up and said he was the only one 
of a large family who believed in Christ. He was very much 
distressed, and said he had a daughter who had sailed for Cali- 
fornia, and that he desired the prayers of the congregation for 
a change of heart in her. The congregation complied with his 
request, and in a short time, to the great surprise of an aged 
parent, a letter came to him from his daughter, bringing the 
glad tidings that she had given her heart to Christ. 

Muddy streets, a rainy evening, and the fact that several of 
the churches were holding their regular prayer-meetings did not 
diminish the number in the congregation which visited the Hip- 
podrome the third evening. 

When the first stanza of the hymn " Only an Armor-bearer" 
had been sung the whole audience rose, making a low murmur 
in their movement, and joined in the chorus, " Hear ye the Bat- 
tle-cry." The impression was deep at this moment, and at 
intervals, when the singers paused for breath, the vast hall was 
as quiet as though no one had been there. Mr. Moody read a 
part of the first chapter of Joshua, and then prayed that the 
blessing of Heaven might come upon all those present, as it 
had upon Joshua in the days of old. As the rain comes down 
from heaven so may Thy blessing fall upon us. The hymn, 






426 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

" Nothing but leaves, the Spirit grieves," was sung with 
deep emotion and produced a noticeable effect upon the list- 
eners. 

Mr. Moody's sermon was even more earnest than those he 
has delivered before in the Hippodrome, and its persuasive 
power was greater than that of any of its predecessors. "• I 
don't want false excitement — God forbid it," he said, and with 
the words a murmur of approval was noticeable. " We must 
light our torch here and go forth ; give the key-note to our pur- 
poses in these meetings. Are not souls worth more than this 
Republic?" he cried, and emphasized it with forcible gestures. 
In this part of the sermon the attention of the audience was 
very close. Seldom could an eye be found in the audience 
which did not rest upon the preacher. His mention of the fire- 
man who saved a child from perishing in flames was impressive 
in its expression, and carried emotion to many who had vivid 
recollections of the Broadway conflagration. 

This was the illustration : — Once, when a great fire broke 
out at midnight and people thought that all the inmates had 
been taken out, way up there in the fifth story was seen a little 
child crying for help. Up went a ladder, and soon a fireman 
was seen ascending to the spot. As he neared the second story 
the flames burst in fury from the windows, and the multitude 
almost despaired of the rescue of the child. The brave man 
faltered, and a comrade at the bottom cried out, " Cheer ! " and 
cheer upon cheer arose from the crowd. Up the ladder he 
went and saved the child because they cheered him. If you 
cannot go into the heat of the battle yourself, if you cannot go 
into the harvest field and work day after day, you can cheer 
those that are working for the Master. 

During the meetings of Mr. Moody in Brooklyn, a young 
man heard him explain the way of salvation. He was not 
specially affected by the truth, and returned to his boarding- 
house only to comment in a critical and scoffing spirit. At the 
table he was requested to give an outline of the sermon ; and, 
as he related the points and illustrations of the preacher, a 
young lady, who was a silent listener to his narrative, was con- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 427 

victed and led to see the plan of salvation, and gave her heart 
to Christ. 

It was a touching request for prayers, that of twenty-six 
mothers, present at the Hippodrome noon prayer-meeting, for 
the salvation of their unconverted children. Twenty-six mothers' 
hearts yearning before God for the souls of their children, and 
more than twenty-six hundred sympathizing Christian hearts, 
uniting with them at the throne of grace, for the salvation of 
those they loved and cherished. 

The fire now kindled burned hotter each day and night. Five 
distinct meetings were held at the Hippodrome, the attendance 
being largely increased over that of the previous day. A notice- 
able growth of interest was manifested. In addition to the 
regular services at noon and 8 p. m., special meetings were 
given for women and young men, and an auxiliary meeting was 
held in the small hall in the evening. Mr. Moody's sermon 
was based on the parable of the three men with their master's 
talents, and was one of the best he has preached since he 
returned from Europe. It made a profound impression ; hundreds 
were in tears. The aggregate attendance at all the meetings 
was about twenty thousand, though in many cases the same per- 
sons were present at several meetings. Christian workers were 
engaged until a late hour with nearly two hundred interested 
inquirers. 

Mr. Moody's manner was more impressive and his address 
even more fervent than on any of the previous evenings. During 
several portions of it the audience were moved to tears, and 
throughout the entire sermon the deepest attention was paid to 
every sentence uttered. There was apparently a much smaller 
proportion of people who came from curiosity, than there has 
been since the service began. 

When Mr. Moody had finished his sermon, "I need Thee 
every hour " was sung, and the Rev. J. S. Kennard and Dr. 
Arm itage prayed. Those who wished to attend the meeting for 
young men were requested to retire to the small hall, and such 
as desired to talk with Christians were asked to go into the in- 
quiry-rooms between the two halls. Others who chose to re- 



428 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

main were invited to do so, and while the choir sang again " I 
need Thee every Hour," the audience became a moving sea of 
human beings, going in all directions. Some went home, others 
sought seats in the front of the room, hundreds joined the meet- 
ing for young men, and about two hundred accompanied Chris- 
tians to the inquiry-rooms. For those who remained the 
Rev. Drs. Ormiston, and Paxton and William E. Dodge offered 
prayers. The inquiry-rooms were busy places. In all parts 
of them were groups of two or three persons earnestly engaged 
in conversation on religious topics. The success attained was 
regarded as surprising at this stage of the revival. Mr. Moody 
was greatly encouraged. 

Mr. Sankey came in. Before singing the " Ninety and Nine," 
he said he feared many were present who came from curiosity, 
yet he hoped they would go away with a different feeling in their 
hearts. Men could not be saved in their own way, he said, but 
they must come to Christ in his way. They must believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and go to the blessed Bible to find out 
the way. The way of the righteous was the only right way. 
" God forbid," he said, " that we should lead any in any other 
way ! For years Jesus has been leading me where I never could 
have gone myself." 

He then sang the " Ninety and Nine," and when he had fin- 
ished the Rev. G. H. Hepworth made an address, in which he 
urged his hearers to become Christians. 

Immediately after the close of the overflow meeting, the 
meeting for young men in the smaller hall began. The ground 
floor of the room was filled and a few seats in the galleries were 
occupied. The meeting was opened at 9:15 by Mr. Moody, who 
announced the hymn, " Sweet Hour of Prayer." 

A large number of persons asked for the prayers of Christians 
for their relatives and friends. One spoke in behalf of his 
brother, another for his son-in-law, another for three sons, an- 
other for a backsliding brother. The requests were numerous 
and made so rapidly that frequently four or five or more persons 
were speaking at the same moment. The interest felt was 
more intense than it has been at any time since the revival be- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 429 

gan. Then a request was made that those who wished for their 
own salvation, who desired to become Christians, should rise, 
and the request met with many responses. Mr. Moody ex- 
claimed, " Truly God is here ! " and then said, " Let us pray." 
His voice was filled with emotion as he prayed ; his words 
seemed almost broken as they fell from his lips, and it appeared 
that his voice would fail him, as he spoke with great feeling and 
earnestness. Mr. Moody announced the 54th hymn, "Just as 
I am," and requested all those who had risen for prayers and 
all those who were anxious for the salvation of their souls to go 
into the inquiry-rooms, where Christian friends would meet and 
help them. 

Mr. Moody, at the close of his address, said that a young 
men's meeting would be held in the Fourth Avenue hall, and 
while the choir was singing a hymn, he made his way through 
the passage connecting the halls, and appeared on the other 
platform. He said that when in Scotland, he was asked to or- 
ganize a young men's meeting. He did so, first in Edinburgh, 
and afterwards in Glasgow, and they were a great success. 
Eight different meetings were held at the same time. He 
wished the people here could only see them. They did not 
think such a meeting would be so successful in America, but 
tried it in Philadelphia, and in a short time they had an average 
of a thousand at every meeting. Now, said he, do you want 
such a thing ? Will you pray for it and work for it ? He called 
for a show of hands of those who were in favor of its being or- 
ganized, and was greatly pleased at the number held up. All 
who had any relatives or friends that they wished to have prayed 
for were called upon to make their requests known. 

Four years ago a young man — a very wayward son, given to 
drink and sin, long prayed for by a Christian father — was sent 
out to sea, that he might escape the temptations he could not 
resist. Now he has come back again, his heart unchanged, 
until, in God's providence, he sauntered into the Hippodrome, 
and there the Lord met him and touched his heart, and his 
friends are praying that the work may be finished, and are fully 
expecting to see the penitent saved. 



43° MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Then came the case of a drunkard awakened under the 
preaching in the Brooklyn Rink meetings last fall. The man 
seemed very much in earnest at the time, but though deeply 
impressed, he did not take hold of Christ ; and though kept from 
drink for months, he yielded once more to the temptation of 
the cup and became intoxicated. Half-way salvation is no 
salvation. 

''Almost will not avail, 
Almost is sure to fail ; 
Sad, sad that bitter wail : 
Almost, but lost ! " 

Worldly questions and replies. 

A contemporary presents a question in connection with the 
revival movement of Moody and Sankey that is not without 
interest. It asks whether the marvellous results that have 
been achieved by the evangelists, so far as crowds and manifest- 
ations of emotions are concerned, leave any permanent result 
in the moral culture of the people. Do those who, under the 
nervous preaching of Moody and the sweet singing of Sankey, 
feel that they are called by the Holy Spirit to lead a better life, 
go- out into the world strengthened for its duties and tempta- 
tions ? Do they become better Christians, better citizens, bet- 
ter fitted for daily cares and struggles ? Do they have a higher 
sense of what they owe to the State and to one another? Does 
the singing of a hymn or the application of the Holy Scriptures 
bring about suddenly that elevation and reformation of the soul 
necessary to the development of our moral nature? Is reli- 
gion a sudden influence that comes like a stroke of lightning, or 
is it what the poets tell us about falling in love at sight? One 
newspaper claims to have information to the effect that the 
revival in Philadelphia has not been lasting ; that there are no 
evidences of a general reformation in morals. But, on the 
other hand, we find in the same journal a news paragraph to 
the effect that six or seven thousand of those who had been con- 
verted in Glasgow by the revivalists have remained true to 
the faith. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 43 1 

We have never believed that men fall into religion at the first 
blush ; that the true development of a moral life comes in an 
hour; that a soul can really be saved by a song or a sermon. 
So many conditions enter into such a life that it must come 
like all other growths, by development. This is at the basis of 
our whole Christian life, of all that is taught by Protestant and 
Catholic. The influences of Moody and Sankey are apt to be 
ephemeral. A hearer may receive a noble influence which 
leads to better thoughts and a purer life. One who has lived 
for years in the contemplation of worldly things, who has given 
to the devil and his works the time and energy that would have 
made him a much better citizen, may have suddenly called to 
his mind the memories of a childhood of faith, of a mother's 
prayers, awakening in his mind all the latent religious feeling, 
for there are tens of thousands with a deep and truly reverent 
nature whose lives are in themselves a religion and who never 
go within a church. These are among those who may be 
reached by the teaching of the evangelists. It is in that direc- 
tion, if at all, the true extent of the work will be done. 
, More than all, there are many who may receive from the 
preaching of the evangelists what the Scriptures call the word 
of quickening — the lighting of the torch which may, if duly 
nirrsed, burn into the flame. If the depths of society can be 
stirred up ; if the poor and forlorn, the wretched and the sinful, 
can only be turned from intemperance and lust and hypocrisy 
and false pretence ; if they can be taught the purer blessings of 
a tranquil honest life, even when compared with all the pomp 
and success of the world, then we shall feel the true spirit of a 
revival. Certainly the evangelists are men who believe in their 
work. We are told they live by faith in deed as well as in 
word ; that neither Moody nor Sankey accept a penny for their 
labors ; that they have no interest in the sale of the books and 
pictures which have had such an enormous circulation. They 
do not raise collections. They have no means. They trust to 
the Lord for their daily bread, and we are told that it always 
comes — sometimes in one form and sometimes in another — 
but never by begging or borrowing or by direct payments or by 



43 2 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



,ord 

i go 



any business interest in any enterprise. They trust in the Lor 
who fed the ravens. They make no plans ahead. They g< 
from place to place as they are " called by the Holy Spirit," and 
take no care for the future. Altogether, the whole movement is 
one of the most extraordinary in modern times, and worthy of 
interest and study. As to the results, the future must tell. 

It is interesting in further reply to the anxiousness about 
results which is so frequently displayed to see that : The Rev. 
W. O. Simpson, of Derby, stated in a recent address, as reported 
in the London Christian, as to the fruits of the Moody and 
Sankey meetings, " that he had carefully looked over the reports 
of the churches, and found that there was not a church which 
did not acknowledge an increase of membership and spiritual 
life as the result." 






Growing Interest. 






The special services for young men, for women, and for 
prayer in the large hall, were all attended by several thousands. 
The multitudes who came out in the unfavorable weather and 
the words of all who spoke and prayed, indicated a very healthy 
growth of religious fervor. The inquiry rooms were thronged 
with workers and those who were anxious for salvation. 

Mr. Moody read from Corinthians xiii., always substituting 
the word " love " for "charity." In the vast congregation there 
were many persons deeply moved by his sermon. It was not 
his forcible utterances, nor his impressive language that wrought 
the effect, for he has seldom spoken in more moderate tones 
and with fewer gestures. The sermon was very largely com- 
posed of anecdotes of a very pathetic nature. The preacher 
drew tears from hundreds of eyes. Old and young men, as 
well as wives and mothers, were deeply moved by his stories 
of children who had taught older people to have greater 
love and sympathy. He said, " We little know how much may 
be won by a smile. If we're going to reach the world we must 
get the wrinkles out of our brows. ' God so loved the world 
that He gave his only begotten Son ' — that's the Gospel." Mr. 
Moody's stories were all told with much feeling. Although the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 433 

evangelist has probably related them twenty times or more, he 
has lost none of his pathos and sympathy. Sometimes he 
preaches the same sermon twice in the same evening to separate 
audiences, and the second effort is usually more earnest than 
the first. His prayer at the young men's meeting last evening 
was much more fervent than that in the larger hall, and yet his 
audience in the latter case was three or four times as large as 
in the former. He seems thoroughly satisfied that the work in 
New- York will be a deep one. He said : " I believe in my 
soul we are going to see the greatest" work in New r York that 
we have seen in this country. I feel that there is a mighty 
power at work in these meetings." 

Some one says : Mr. Moody's practice is to give theology in 
very small doses and religion in as large quantities as the patient 
can bear. He hits the sinner a blow with the brawny arm of a 
blacksmith, and then, when the poor fellow is perfectly convinced 
that he is going to perdition, he takes him by the hand with 
something like a woman's tenderness and starts him on the road 
to heaven to the music of " Glory, Hallelujah." 

"Christ didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. 
. . . There's one mountain peak that the wrath of God has 
swept over, and that is the Mount of Calvary." Mr. Moody's 
faith is almost childlike in its simplicity, although it has the 
strength of manhood. He has no creed or ritual of his own, 
and accepts no system but that which the plain elements of the 
Christian religion themselves construct. He thoroughly believes 
that God created the world and governs it, that Christ was sent 
to redeem man from his sins, and that through Him is the only 
way by which the world can be saved. He hardly goes beyond 
this. With his faith profoundly fixed in his heart, and growing 
stronger with his experience, Mr. Moody joins a genuine love 
of his race, which makes him always prompt in rejoicing with 
those who are happy in their religion, or in giving sympathy to 
such as have not found the Way of Life. Moreover, he pos- 
sesses a mind which never tires inks activity to convert sinners, 
and an energy and enthusiasm which become more earnest and 
intense every year. There is no sect which he does not welcome 
19 



434 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

to his meetings. An Episcopalian or a Methodist, a Baptist or 
a Presbyterian, or Congregation alist, are alike received as 
brothers. He finds Christian truth in them all, and recognizes 
that each denomination, in its own way, has helped to make the 
world better. " Any church," he says, " which preaches Christ 
is doing God's service on the earth." 

Mr. Moody is not a theologian. His Bible, an index of sub- 
jects, Cruden's Concordance, and a few commentaries, comprise 
his text-books. The Sunday-school and home missionary field 
have been his theological seminary. The history of the Church 
since the time of the Apostles seems to have little interest for 
him. He apparently knows scarcely anything of its ancient 
strifes. The wars of sects and the claims of different denomi- 
nations he does not give the least evidence of knowing much 
about He never refers to any of the great controversies of the 
Church, more than to mention Luther, Knox, Whitefield, and 
Wesley, as examples of what Christians may do if thoroughly 
consecrated to religious work. 

The meeting at three o'clock, and the one held in the evening, 
were both impressive and suggestive at this stage of the revival. 
In the afternoon no one was admitted but ladies, except the 
male members of the choir, a few reporters and the usual de- 
tail of policemen. The audience was such an one as New York 
has probably never seen before. Between six and seven thousand 
women were seated in one room, every grade of society being 
represented, and forming a congregation to be seen few times 
in the course of a life. And this vast number was one of the 
best evidences yet furnished of the depth of interest in the re- 
vival movement. But a scene even more significant than this 
was to be found at the evening services. None but men were 
admitted, and not only were all of the seven thousand seats in 
the large hall taken, but four thousand men composed a second 
audience in the smaller room. 

While he was speaking the rain began to fall upon the roof, 
and attracted some attention. He cried out : " O, may God 
rain down the blessings of Heaven here to-night, and may it 
come to your thirsty souls as it now comes to the thirsty earth." 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 435 

He preached the same sermon afternoon and night, and 
spoke of 

Forgiveness and eternal life. 

O, the blessed Gospel of the Son of God, what can we do 
without it ? When we lay our little children away in death they 
shall rise again. I was going into a cemetery once, and over 
the entrance I saw these words : " They shall rise again." In- 
fidelity didn't teach that ; we got that from this book. O, the 
blessed Gospel of the Son of God ! How every one of you 
ought to believe it ! Young lady, if you have been careless up 
to this afternoon, O, may you get awake. May you this hour 
not hesitate to turn from your sins unto God and believe the 
gospel of His son. I used to be a good deal troubled with my 
sins, and I thought of the day of judgment, when all the sins 
that I had committed in secret should blaze out before the 
assembled universe. Bat when a man comes to Christ the Gos- 
pel tells him they are all gone, and in Jesus Christ he is a new 
creature. All I know is that out of the love which my Lord has 
for me He has taken all my sins and cast them behind his back. 
That is behind God's back. How is Satan to get at it ? If 
God has forgiven our sins, they won't be mentioned. In Ezekiel 
we are told not one of them shall be mentioned. Isn't it a 
glorious thing to have all our sins blotted out ? And there is 
another thought, and that is the Judgment. You know if a 
man has committed some great crime, when he is brought into 
judgment how he dreads it ! How he dreads that day when he 
is brought into court, when he is put into a box and witnesses 
are to come up and testify against him, and he is to be judged ! 
But, my friends, the Gospel tells us that if we come to Christ, 
we shall never come into judgment. Why ? Because Christ 
was judged for us. He was wounded for our transgressions. 
If he has been wounded for us, we haven't got to be wounded. 
" Verily, verily," — which means truly, truly — " I say unto you " 
— now just put your name in there — " He that heareth my 
words, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath " — h-a-t-h, hath. 
It don't say you shall have when you die. It says, hath — " He 



43^ MOODY ADD SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

that heareth my words and believeth on Him that sent me hath 
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation." That 
means into judgment. He shan't come into judgment, but is 
passed "from death unto life." There is judgment out of the 
way. He shall never come into judgment. Why ? Because 
God has forgiven us and given us eternal life. That is the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ought people to be gloomy and put 
on long faces when that is the news ? 

Away out oh the frontier of our country, out on the prairies, 
where men sometimes go to hunt or for other purposes, the grass 
in the dry season sometimes catches fire, and you will see the 
flames uprise twenty or thirty feet high, and you will see those 
flames rolling over the Western desert faster than any fleet horse 
can run. Now what do the men do ? They know it is sure 
death unless they can make some escape. They would try to 
run away perhaps, if they had fleet horses. But they can't, that 
fire goes faster than the fleetest horse can run. What do they 
do ? Why, they just take a match and they light the grass from 
it, and away it burns, and then they get into that burnt district. 
The fire comes on, and there they stand perfectly secure. There 
they stand perfectly secure — nothing to fear. Why ? Because 
the fire has burned all there is to burn. Take your stand there 
on Mount Calvary. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is to whosoever 
will come. I thank God that I can come to this city of New 
York with a Gospel that is free to all. It is free to the most 
abandoned. Still it may be there are some wives who have got 
discouraged and disheartened. I can tell you the joyful news 
that your husbands and your sons have not gone so far but that 
the grace of God can save them. The Son of God came to raise 
up the most abandoned. I noticed on my way down this morn- 
ing not less than four or five tramps. They looked weary and 
tired. I supposed they had slept on the sidewalk last night. I 
thought I would like to have time just to stop and tell them 
about the Son of God, and how Christ loved them. The Gospel 
of the Son of God is to tell us how he loves us. He takes our 
feet out of the pit and he puts our feet on the Rock of Ages. 
And that, my dear friends, is what Christ wants us to do, and 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 437 

don't think that there isn't some one in your homes but that he 
wants to save. Tell them that there is none too abandoned, 
none so young, none so fallen, but that God can save them. 
There was William Dorset, and the power of the Lord was upon 
him, and in closing his meeting one night he said there wasn't 
a man in London so far gone but that the Lord could save him. 
There was Whitefield, and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, 
and he said, "God is so anxious to save souls that he will take 
the devil's castaway." Whitefield said that the Lord would 
take the devil's castaway. Dorset said that there was no man 
in London so far gone but that the Lord would save him. 
There was a lady missionary whom I knew, who found a man 
who said there was no hope for him ; he had sent away his day 
of grace. She went to Mr. Dorset and said to him, Ci Mr. Dor- 
set, will you go down and see him and tell him what you said ? " 
Mr. Dorset said he would be glad to go and see him. He went 
up into a five-story house, and away up in the garret he found a 
young man lying upon some straw. He bent over him and 
whispered into his ear and called him his friend. The young 
man looked startled. He says, " You are mistaken in the per- 
son when you say, ' My friend.' I have no friends. No one 
cares for me." Mr. Dorset told him that Christ was as much 
his friend as of any man in London. Poor prodigal ! And 
after he had talked with him for some time, he prayed with him 
and then he read to him out of the Bible, and at last the light of 
the gospel began to break in upon that darkened heart. This 
young man said to Mr. Dorset he thought he could die happy 
if he knew his father was willing to forgive him. Mr. Dorset 
said to him, " Where does your father live ? " The young man 
said he lived in the West End of London. Mr. Dorset said, " I 
will go and see him and see if he won't forgive you." But the 
young man said, "No, I don't want to have you do that. My 
father would abuse you if you should speak to him about me. 
He don't recognize me as his boy any more." Mr. Dorset said, 
" I will go and see him." He went up to the West End of Lon- 
don, where he found a very fine mansion, and a servant dressed 
in livery came to the door, and he was ushered into the drawing- 



43% MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

room and presently the father, a bright, majestic looking man, 
came into the room. Mr. Dorset held out his hand to shake 
hands with him, and said, " You have a son by the name of 
Joseph, have you not?" And when the father heard that, he 
refused to shake hands with him, and was going out of the room. 
The father said, "If you have come up here to talk about that 
worthless, vagabond, I want you to leave the house. He is no 
son of mine." Mr. Dorset said, "He is yours now, but he 
won't be long ; but he is yours now." " Is Joseph sick ? " said 
the man. "Yes," said Mr. Dorset, "he is dying. I haven't 
come for money. I will see that he has a decent burial. I 
have only come to ask you to forgive him." "Forgive him ! 
forgive him ! " said the father, "T would have forgiven him long 
ago if I thought he wanted me to. Do you know where he is?" 
" Yes, sir, he is in the East End of London." Can you take me 
to him ? " "Yes, sir, I will take you to him." And the father 
ordered out his carriage, and he was on his way. When we got 
there he said, " Did you find my boy here ? Oh, if I had known 
he wanted me to, I would have taken him home long ago." 
When the father went into that room he could hardly recognize 
his long lost boy. The father went over and kissed the boy, 
and the father says to him, "I would have forgiven you long, 
long ago, if I had known you wanted me to. Let my servant 
order the carriage and take you home," but the boy said, " No, 
father, I am dying ; but I can die now happy in this garret, that 
I know you are willing to forgive me." And he told his father 
how Jesus had received him, and in a little while he breathed 
his last, and out of that dark garret he rose up into the kingdom 
of God. Oh, my friends, there may be some one in New York 
who would rejoice to hear such words. Oh, here is a Christian, 
shall he not publish it? And you that are not Christians, 
won't you come into the Kingdom ? Oh, that to-day you may 
receive Christ, is the prayer I believe of the hundreds that are 
gathered here. 

When the sermon had been concluded a few moments were 
given to silent prayer, and after that a large number arose for 
prayers. While the hymns "Almost Persuaded " and "Just as 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 439 

I am " were sung, those who desired to converse on religious 
subjects, were requested to go into the inquiry rooms. About 
two hundred did so, and Mr. Moody and several Christian 
workers labored with them until late in the afternoon. 

One of the committee said the results of these labors were 
" perfectly marvellous." 

Opposition. 

The sources of antagonism to the work were strangely diverse, 
as is revealed by the following editorial comments on reports 
concerning the safety of the Hippodrome : 

Nothing must be left undone by the committee having the 
building in charge to render life secure during this Moody and 
Sankey revival, and we have faith that the utmost that is possi- 
ble will be done to accomplish this end. Especially would we 
wish to guard against any unnecessary alarm. The work in 
which these evangelists, so called, are engaged is only too likely 
to provoke opposition. Their meetings attract multitudes from 
the theatres and other places of public amusement, and interfere 
sadly with bier halles and such places of resort. It is but nat- 
ural that a strong interest should wish this counter attraction 
removed, and endeavor to exaggerate any suggestion of danger 
to the detriment of Moody and Sankey's work. With any such 
movement we have no sympathy. 

Antagonism early appeared in the contrary direction, as is 
shown by a digest of Rev. O. B. Frothingham's sermon on the 
Revivalists' Aim. 

Although sympathizing with the aim of the evangelists he said 
he regretted that their concern was not apparently with spiritual 
truths in their grander representations. He thought that their 
doctrine of God was childish, their theory of Providence puny, 
their intelligence of Scripture limited, and their whole concep- 
tion of the universe that of the nursery. Even of Christ, he 
remarked, they do not speak in any large and friendly way. 
Their Christ was not a man. His courage was not heroic. He 
was sent, He died as a matter of universal business, and the 



: 



440 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

power of His living dated from the few moments when He suf- 
fered on the cross. And that suffering was not that men might 
be touched to the heart of their manliness and toned to a more 
noble life, but that they might be saved from some unknown 
doom. If the end at which the evangelists aimed were accom- 
plished, the world that would satisfy them would be one wherein 
civilization would be put back in many ways. Certain impor- 
tant classes of literature and much of art would be eliminated, 
as under the influence of Paul's conversion pictures and books 
were bought by artists and authors and publicly cast upon the 
flames. It would require that men should cease to study 
science. To this Mr. Frothingham would demur, believing that 
civilization was good, and that its progress depended upon wis- 
dom and culture and scientific investigation, and also upon the 
avoidance of any exclusive system and of all sectarianism. He 
thought, however, that the appeal of the evangelists would 
reach a multitude of people not of the cultured or enlightened, 
but the poor and the ignorant. If these men had in them the 
capacity to reach the mass of the people, just so far as they did 
they would succeed, and so perform a work for which all lovers 
of mankind would be grateful. 

This toploftical treatment of the matter, shows how extremes 
meet, — the low and the high in rank, culture and vocation, 
alike seeking to hinder and discredit the work. But, in spite 
of the mud and rain, between eight thousand and ten thousand 
people attended the meetings in the Hippodrome on Monday. 
In the evening Mr. Moody continued his remarks on the Gos- 
pel of the New Testament. The special services for women 
and for young men, as well as the meeting in the inquiry rooms, 
were largely attended, and gave evidence of a sustained interest 
in the revival. Mr. Sankey sang " Jesus of Nazareth passeth 
by," and the vast room was in breathless quiet. When the 
hymn, "Jesus paid it all," was given out, the audience was 
requested to rise and sing, and Mr. Moody said, " If you can't 
sing as well as the person next to you, don't mind that. If 
you can't sing at all, just talk the words out. It will do you 
good." With his hymn-book in his hand, he stood in the pul- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 441 

pit and sang heartily, beating time with the hand in which he 
held the book. 

The vast concourse of people who assemble nightly and daily 
in the Hippodrome, will probably be remembered by the peo- 
ple of New York as among the most remarkable demonstrations 
that the metropolis has ever seen. It is not a usual privilege 
to see people of every class and condition assemble together 
every day for the purposes of religious worship to the number 
of ten thousand or fifteen thousand. To form an idea of the 
spectacle which seven thousand people, who form the largest of 
the meetings, affords to the eye, one should stand upon the 
platform in a corner of the room, from which point a view of 
the entire " sea of upturned faces " may be obtained. Crowded 
in every corner of the auditorium, the congregation rises on the 
galleries, which reach around the building, and extend far back 
beneath the roof, until the last lines are almost lost in the dim 
light. A quiet, an order prevails which would be worthy of 
sitting statues. From the elevated pulpit, erected at a point 
about thirty feet from the outermost limit of the audience, Mr. 
Moody speaks. A man not extraordinary in personal appear- 
ance, far from likely to impress a stranger with an unusual 
degree of favor, every ear is alert to hear him. He is short of 
stature, stoutly built, inclining to obesity, with shoulders slightly 
curving forward, short of neck, with a round, pleasant face, 
ruddy with health, and a long rich black beard. He wears a 
business suit, with a Prince Albert coat buttoned at three 
places. With an abruptness that almost startles one, he speaks, 
and every eye is his, and so remains until he sits down, and 
then, for the first time, every one moves in his seat and a gen- 
tle rustle is heard for a moment. 

This was especially noticeable last evening. The Hippodrome 
was crowded in both halls, and all the standing room was occu- 
pied in every part of the building. Mr. Moody continued his 
remarks on the subject of Regeneration, and held the congre- 
gation in breathless quiet. Mr. Sankey sang " The Ninety 
and Nine," and expressions of appreciation were very general. 
Among the persons present were Gov. Tilden, the Rev. Drs. 



442 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Anderson, Tyng, and John Cotton Smith, and Cyrus W. Field, 
Judge Haines, of New Jersey, and John Lord, LL. D. The 
usual after-meetings were held, and almost the entire congrega- 
tion remained. Hundreds went into the inquiry-rooms, and 
Christians staid with them until a late hour. 

The Inquiry-Rooms. 

The scenes in the inquiry-rooms night after night are of the 
most interesting character. At the invitations given both in 
the main and adjoining rooms, those rising to their feet and 
those who are searching for religious knowledge and the " peace 
which the world cannot give nor take away," pass from the midst 
of the great audiences into the smaller rooms dedicated to expo- 
sition and prayer. After the sermon of Mr. Moody, he, with 
other Christian workers, may be found seated by the side of 
penitents, instructing them and quietly praying for the divine 
enlightenment. A solemn quiet pervades these rooms, broken 
by the clear song of some sweet-voiced singer, the sobs of some 
woman, or the prayer of a faithful disciple. Here may be 
found all classes — the rich, the poor, the ignorant, the educated, 
learned divines and earnest laymen, all on the same level, 
engaged in the same grand work. They are in groups, scat- 
tered here and there, while gliding about from group to group 
may be seen Mr. Moody. Here are infidels who come to scoff 
and reason, remaining to receive the arrows of conviction as 
word after word, not of sophistry but plain irrefutable truth, 
passes through the fervid spirit of some saint of God into the 
very inmost nature of the one who would have overthrown the 
true and faithful Christian worker. Certainly the work of these 
men and women is not in vain and the future shall attest by its 
glorified ones, its purified, the grandeur of this work which men, 
without a laugh of derision or scowl of malice, pause in the 
midst of trade and pleasure to contemplate and admire. 

The Second Week of Revival. 

Mr. Moody kept firing heavy guns into the immense masses 
that gathered to be instructed and saved. The grandest truths 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 443 

that can engage human thought he presented and enforced with 
all the energy of his powerful nature, and with simplicity, direct- 
ness, and fervor. He was aided by a large company of noble 
men whose talks were often eloquent and weighty. We select 
some gems from these discourses. 

Rev. Dr. S. H. Tyng, Jr., said success in intercession is one 
of the blessings we find in Christ. It has pleased the Father 
that all the fullness of justification, of strength and of sympathy 
shall be found by the believer in Christ. His success in inter- 
cession is found in Christ. We see in the ist Epistle of Ephe- 
sians what a multitude of things God shows us to be in Christ. 
When He sent His Son into the world he says : All spiritual 
blessings are in Christ — acceptance, remission, forgiveness, 
daily strength, mercy, everything is for us in Christ. We need 
only to be in Christ to have all our needs fully supplied, and 
then prayer is the speaking of a child to a heavenly Father. 
Then prayer is almost soliloquy, for in Christ we have lost our 
personality in whom we have found our forgiveness and our 
home. Therefore when we come to intercession let us look 
upon it as a privilege we have as those that are in Christ, and 
there will be no failure in our intercession if it be in the exalta- 
tion of Jesus. In Christ we are interceding in heaven. It is 
the believer's privilege to be identified by faith with the work 
of Christ, and we can say, " He bore my sins in His own body 
on the tree, and He has admitted me into the acceptance of the 
Father. He has brought me nigh the Father in the reconcilia- 
tion of His love." An incident was told by a doctor in Boston, 
of a young man who was brought into the consumptive hospital 
as a patient. It was manifest the disease had made great 
progress, and his days were numbered. They knew nothing 
about his previous history, but that he was a rough, bad man in 
every respect. He was put in one of the wards, and he was 
very reticent. When any one came near him he expected to 
be preached at, and he threw on everything like Christian sym- 
pathy. When the doctor came round healing the body and the 
soul, for he unites the two offices, he looked at this man and 
saw on his countenance that he would reject spiritual counsel. 



444 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA e 

He prescribed for his physical condition, and then passed on, 
but all of a sudden he turned back and said : " Do you love 
Jesus?" The man said "No." The doctor turned away, but 
turned back a moment afterward and said : " Jesus loves you." 
Every day for a week he spoke to the man in those same words. 
That was the message to him, " Jesus loves you." One night 
the night-bell, hanging over this poor sinner's bed was rung 
violently. The nurse asked what was the matter. "Oh," he 
said, " I cannot enjoy it alone. I must have somebody with 
me." "What is the matter?" "I have just found out that 
Jesus loves me." The nurse read the Bible to him and prayed 
that he might grow in the love of Jesus. When the doctor 
came next morning he found him in a state of unconscious ex- 
haustion. The nurse woke him up and asked him if he was 
thinking about Jesus. He folded his hands upon his breast 
and said, "When I am conscious I am thinking about Jesus, 
but when I am unconscious Jesus is thinking about me." The 
man was in Christ in his conscious moments and was full of 
Christ, and in his weakness and unconsciousness he was sure 
Jesus was thinking about and loving and caring for him. 

Rev. Dr. Hepworth said: I am strongly moved at this point 
to utter a single word to those who feel they are unsaved. It 
is terrible to think even for a moment that there is any soul in 
this vast congregation that will not be gathered in at the last 
day to the joy and love and salvation of God. If there is one, 
I want to say to that soul that it will be simply his own fault 
and not God's. God has done everything for you, and up to 
this moment you have done next to nothing for Him. I state 
this as a bold fact, to which in and by your experience you are 
bound to give an assent. 

Now this occasion seems to be filled on one side with an 
expression of great sadness, and on the other side with an 
expression of great triumph. I cannot look into your faces 
without reading your character. I cannot see those lines that 
have been furrowed there s not by time so much as by experi- 
ence, without seeing away behind your face the things you have 
been doing and the thoughts you have been thinking. If all 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 445 

hearts could be unroofed — if we could look into each other and 
through each other, and read each other as a book, it would be 
a dangerous experiment to try. If that power should be given 
to us by the Holy Spirit for an hour, you and I would endeavor 
to close our hearts like a book, with a clasp, and keep them 
shut. We do not want people to look into our lives. Some are 
saying : " If I could only forget these things and get rid of them. 
If there was only a single chance for me to start anew." That 
is my sorrow, that there is a man or woman here down in the 
valley so far that his heart is so filled with despair. A drunk- 
ard or gambler may say : " Oh, religion will do for almost 
everything, but it will not do for me ; it is too late." You dare 
not say that to God. You may say it to me but not to Him. 
The lost one is the one God wants most. The ninety-nine are 
saved ; it is the hundredth sheep God is after. What a great 
sorrow it is that you are where you are tied behind all these 
doubts and despondencies — tied hand and foot as Samson was 
in the olden days, by the temptations of New York life. 

Another word : It is an occasion of triumph. God is here, 
and God's hand is not shortened. God is here, poor sinner, 
and God wants you. Your mother does not want you as much 
as He does. Your mother never sacrificed as much for you as 
your Saviour. You cannot do anything for Him, but how much 
has He done for you ? You cannot pay the debt. It is like 
paying a debt of a thousand dollars with a bushel of ashes. 
Yet in spite of your unworthiness, there stands the cross, and 
you and I can kneel at its feet and leave our burdens there, and 
we can go out into New York free men, emancipated by the 
proclamation contained in the Sermon on the Mount. Do not 
wait until to-morrow. Do it now. At an inquiry-meeting in 
England a long time ago, there was a poor fellow went into the 
meeting and said to the minister, " I want to hear you talk 
about religion.''" After an hour's conversation the minister said, 
" Do you see the light ? " The man said, " No, it is dark as 
pitch." The minister talked another hour ; it was then eleven 
o'clock and he was tired. He said to the poor fellow, " Now, 
if you will come to-morrow, I will finish the conversation." 



446 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

The poor collier said, "It is now or never. If I don't get it 
now I never will. I have a feeling in my heart that I must and 
will have it, and I am going to get it." The time passed on in 
conversation until twelve o'clock, and the minister was pretty 
well used up, but the man had not got the light. At two 
o'clock the collier lifted up his hands and said, " I have got it, 
the Lord has come to me." The next morning he went with all 
the hands into the coal-pits, and just as they sounded the call 
to dinner there was a cry that there was an accident ; one of 
the coal-pits had fallen in. Poor John was under the pile, but 
he was not quite killed. The people put their ears to the 
ground to see if there was any life in him, and they called 
" Johnny, Johnny," but all they heard was, " Oh, I am so glad 
I did not put it off." That was the last they heard. The man 
was saved. Go thou and do likewise. 

Rev. John Hall, D. D., read a portion of Scripture from the 
fortieth Psalm, commenting upon it as he read. He said : One 
would infer that the case of David was a very bad one, and he 
had recourse to the Lord in his trouble. He waited upon the 
Lord. He was not content with a chance ejaculation — a peti- 
tion now and then. He waited patiently upon the Lord. It 
was earnest, continuous, believing prayer which he offered. 
He had it to himself. He waited upon the Lord. You must 
tell those persons that ask our prayers that we cannot make our 
prayers here a substitute for their dealing directly with the 
Lord. They must go to Him and tell Him their wants. It is 
their duty, each of them personally, to go and have dealings 
with the Almighty. The Psalmist says : " I waited patiently 
for the Lord and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry." It 
is a comparatively easy thing to feel some emotion when there 
are a thousand people around us feeling in the same way ; but 
let us bear in mind what we individually and severally feel 
alone with God. That is the true measure of our power in 
prayer. That is the true measure of the earnestness of our 
hearts before Him. " He inclined unto me and heard my cry/' 
He was not waiting to be moved. He is ready to act all the 
time, but it would not be for His glory, and it would not be for 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 447 

our good for Him to act until we showed our appreciation of 
the blessing by patiently waiting for Him. Look at the con- 
dition the suppliant was in : " He brought me out of an horri- 
ble pit, and out of the miry clay." The horrible pit, like that in 
which the drunkard is, like that in which the young man is who 
spent yesterday where he dare not tell his mother or sister ; 
like that in which the dishonest man is who is entangled in his 
own frauds and is not able to see where he can begin to be an 
honest man ; like that in which those members of our churches 
are who have never carried their sins to the foot of the cross. 
If any of you have tried to walk through a morass and tried to 
get out of it by putting forth all your strength, you have found 
that the more energy you put forth to get hastily away the 
deeper you sink in it. So with sinners. When they make the 
most desperate efforts to clear themselves, the more they get 
involved. The way to get out of the miry clay and horrible pit 
is to cry to God. Stop striving and stop working, and let the 
Lord save you, and then He has the glory. " He brought me 
out." It is well for ministers to preach and evangelists to labor 
and Sunday-school teachers to teach, but it is God that does 
the work. He brought me out, and to Him is the glory. He 
does the work well. He set my feet upon a rock, and estab- 
lished my goings. We know our Rock is perfect. One foun- 
dation is laid for us and that is Jesus Christ. A sinner is only 
safe out of the horrible pit and miry clay when his feet are on 
that Rock, and when God establishes his goings. When you 
go to the Lord for strength the Lord will guide you ; you will 
see in what way the Lord will have you walk, and your goings 
will be established. We have a great many people who go 
wavering, doubtful and uncertain. They come to Christ to-day 
and go to the world to-morrow, come to God to-day and to his 
foes to-morrow. They are, as we say in common talk, shilly- 
shallying. That is not the type of a Christian God wants. 
God wants a man to declare plainly that he is seeking a city 
that is to come, whose builder and maker is God. Mark what 
follows this prayer — the answer : " He hath put a new song in 
my mouth, even praise unto our God." If God, in answer to 



44^ MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

your prayer, has put a new song in your mouth, sing it, as God 
wants you to sing it, in your own way. The father to his chil- 
dren, the husband to his wife, the master to his men in his 
office or his shop, the minister to his people, the Sunday-school 
teacher to his class. Let God put a song in your mouth. Do 
not talk about your experience. Do not talk behind your ex- 
perience. Say what you feel. Say what is true to you, but d 
not go an inch beyond it, for when you do, you defile your ow 
conscience, and all the bad effects of untruthfulness come back 
upon you. Let God put the song in your mouth, and when you 
sing it, many shall hear it and trust in the Lord. We ought to 
know the truth and be able to tell it. I can bring to my mind 
a vivid picture of earnestness in the case of a dying lady in 
this city who sent for me between the two services on Sunday. 
I found her in her house looking as white as the sheets of her 
bed. I never will forget her earnestness as she said : " I have 
only half an hour to live. Tell me in the shortest words you 
can how I can be saved." Thank God, the words are short : 
" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'' 

Mr. Moody said : We have not come here to talk about the 
evil of intemperance, but we have come here to tell those that 
may be slaves to strong drink that there is one who is able to 
save them, and w r e have come to pray to God that they may be 
delivered. I seldom meet a drunkard but wants to get free 
from the vice and habit of using strong drink. It is very en- 
couraging to come here and say the grace of God is able to save 
every drunkard in New York city. We have some persons in 
the hospitals for incurable diseases, but when it comes to the 
soul we do not need any hospital for any incurable case. The 
Lord Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost. Christ is 
able to snap fetters that bind every victim of lust, let the sin 
be what it will. In the fifth chapter of Mark we find recorded 
the case of a man with an unclean spirit whom no man could 
bind. We find that men had tried in every way to help this 
poor fellow, and failed. It is said no man could bind him. 
" Neither could any man tame him." I suppose he was the 
terror of that whole region. If he had a family, how they must 



o 

i 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 449 

have been afraid of him ! They could not tame him or even 
keep clothes on him. It is the most hopeless case in Scripture, 
but Christ had but to speak the word and he was in his right 
mind. It is said he had his dwelling among the tombs. That 
is where every poor sinner is ; he is dead in trespasses and 
sins. It is easy for Christ to save our friends who are addicted 
to strong drink. Many a drunkard is saved by the power of 
God, not by forming resolutions, because their appetite is 
stronger than their will and resolution, but thanks be to God the 
blessed Saviour is stronger than strong drink. He is stronger 
than any man's appetite. They must have this appetite de- 
stroyed. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, and 
this appetite is a work of the devil. Christ can take away this 
appetite. In Philadelphia we had this subject for every Friday 
meeting, and when we left we had good reason to believe over 
one hundred intemperate men had been reclaimed. They 
formed themselves into a society, and they were going into the 
darkest lanes of Philadelphia and hunting up those who were 
addicted to the same sin, and they were trying to bring them to 
Christ. I wrote to some of them to come over £nd state what 
Christ had done for them, and I have just received a dispatch 
saying that some of them will be over here next Friday. One 
night a man came into the young men's meeting so under the 
influence of liquor that when he got up to ask for prayers they 
pulled him down. He said : " I will get up." I had no faith 
that the Lord would convert a man when he was under the 
influence of liquor, but the Lord did convert him. God can 
save drunkards. Let us have faith that he will save our friends. 
In this fifth chapter of Mark we find there were three who 
prayed. The devils prayed that they might be sent out of the 
country, and the Lord answered their prayer. The men of the 
country prayed that He might depart, and He answered their 
prayer. Then the man who was clothed and in his right mind 
prayed that he might be with Christ, but Christ didn't answer 
that prayer. Why ? Because He wanted him to go to work. 
He said : " Go home and tell what the Lord hath done for you." 
Perhaps the wife 'and children always ran away from him when 



450 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

he went home. Now what was their amazement when he came 
in. The wild glare has gone from his eyes. His wife is yet a 
little afraid, but he says. " Don't be afraid of me any more. I 
am perfectly well. The Lord Jesus has saved me." He told 
his friends. You may say a layman cannot preach ; that was 
the best preaching in the world. I imagine he got on some 
dry goods box at the corner of some street, and published in 
Decapolis what good things Jesus had done for him. Many a 
man is bound hand and foot by strong drink, and thinks there 
is no hope for him. You men that have been delivered from 
the power of strong drink, go tell these men that God has power 
on earth to free every drunkard on the earth. Let us have 
faith to-day in prayer. 

Prayer was then offered, and the 40th hymn, " Oh bliss of 
the purified," was sung. 

Mr. Sankey said : I will say a few words in continuation of 
this subject about going to work for Jesus' sake, and going in 
the name of Jesus. After we had been four months in London 
a young lady in the house in which I stayed, came and asked 
me in a trembling voice if I would pray with her brother. She 
said he had been going to church ever since he was a little boy. 
He attended a prominent church in London. She said : 
" When the sermon is being preached, I see there is a troubled 
look in his face." The tears rolled down her cheeks as she 
said : " I am afraid my brother is not a Christian. I want you 
to go with him to church and speak to him upon this subject." 
It was half an hour's drive to the hall, and I spoke to this 
young man and prayed with him ; I prayed for Jesus' sake 
that he might be rescued and join us, for we needed help from 
such as he. That night at the meeting, he surrendered his 
heart to Jesus. The next night God used him in speaking to 
others. Three nights after he came to me about twelve o'clock 
at night. He knocked at my bed-room door. I got up and 
William was standing there. He said : " I wish you would 
come and pray with my brother George." I went up stairs, 
and there was his younger brother praying to God for his salva- 
tion. I stayed there half an hour. If you could have heard 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 45 1 

William's prayer for his brother, and how he brought it at the 
close for Jesus' sake, it would have sunk deep in your heart — it 
did mine. George was converted, and those two young men 
are now working in and for the Lord. That young lady was 
very grateful to God for having brought her brothers out of 
darkness, and she went the following week and hired one of the 
largest conveyances she could, and gathered all the old women 
that were unable to go out to the meeting — cripples, and those 
that were on beds of sickness that could be taken out. She 
got some fifteen or twenty of them in the stage, and she sat in 
the rear, and they went to the meeting. They could not have 
got to the meeting any other way. She sat beside them, and she 
has been visiting them ever since. She said she wanted to do 
something for the Lord, and she is doing that work. One by 
one those aged pilgrims are crossing the river. She is there 
speaking a word to them while they are neglected by others. 
Oh, that we may have such scenes here — grateful hearts going 
out in the dark places of the city, and carrying that precious 
name to those that are perishing. If you do this work in Jesus' 
name, God will bless it, and He will use you to carry his word 
to perishing souls. 

Mr. Sankey sang, " Not now, my child, a little more rough 
tossing." Prayer was then offered by Rev. Dr. Tyng, Jr., 
making special reference to the students at Princeton College. 
Rev. Dr. Hepworth said :' It seems to me that we have a 
right to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost is in our midst. 
The motive for this immense congregation coming here, I think, 
is not curiosity, but an honest desire to know what God will 
have us to do, and to know how we stand in the judgment of 
the Almighty. I am sure that our dear brother was led by the 
power on high when he chose the subject of prayer to begin 
with. It is often that the nearest road to a neighbor's heart is 
by the throne of heaven. When we want to engage in war we 
go into the arsenal and take the proper weapons, and when we 
want to pray we must receive the sword of the Spirit and the 
shield from the hand of the Almighty. There is nothing so 
beautiful and so effective as prayer. When Christian in " Bun- 



45 2 



MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



yan's Pilgrim's Progress " was sick and tired and worn out and 
weary, he lay down at the foot of the cross and slept ; and when 
he awoke he saw the burden had dropped from his shoulders 
and rolled down the hill, and as he watched it it fell at last into 
the sepulchre of the Lord. Some of you may want to begin a 
new life, but you say, " How shall I get rid of the sins I have 
already committed ? " Our brother has read the Word, which is 
the golden key to unlock that door. If there is one word more 
emphatic than another — both in the Old and New Testaments — it 
is, that when a man is in perfect earnestness about himself, and 
when a man sits down in humility, God takes care of his sins, 
and his eyes never behold them again. 

If a man is in the habit of drinking, or if he gives away to 
any other temptation and is bound with its iron chain, he. has 
but one course to pursue. Human friendship may give him 
condolence for the past and encouragement for the future, but if 
he goes to Jesus Christ he will get rid of the whole thing. God 
takes the sin away from you as easily as you, with a rubber, will 
remove a pencil mark from paper. Come to the cross of Christ 
in humility, but with a spirit of determination and an unswerving 
faith that God will bless you because He wants you, and that 
your best friend is Jesus Christ, in whose name you utter your 
prayer. 

Rev. Dr. Ormiston said : Prayer is at once our most precious 
privilege and grandest power. It is a precious privilege for 
each soul in its own behalf to realize that it is entering into the 
very presence of God and holding communion with Him who is 
the giver of every good and perfect gift, and who knows all your 
wants and ways and needs and temptations. If you come to 
God in real prayer you come with an open heart. Your tongue 
may stammer, your lips may falter, and you may be inadequate 
to tell out in articulate words all you want, but lay bare your 
heart and spread it out as Gideon spread the fleece, and the 
Lord will supply all your need. 

Prayer is not mere bowing our heads, or doing as others do. 
It is the distinct peculiar privilege of each soul. You may sit 
in a congregation like this and ninety-nine out of every hundred 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 453 

may be praying and you not, or on the other hand you may be 
praying and the ninety-nine not praying. Praying is direct 
personal communion with a personal living God in whose 
boundless love you believe. It is a power as well as a privilege. 
It is the grandest power that any human soul can wield in this 
world. All have the grand gift. We may not be all strong, 
wise, eloquent or learned, but it is the universal privilege of all 
God's saints to enter into His presence within the vail and kneel 
before the mercy seat sprinkled with blood, and pray for others. 
Let every one of us, if we have received the gift ourselves, be 
solicitous to have the spirit of prayer, and then when we find we 
have that blessing, we can enter in with all the enrobed priest- 
hood of God. When this whole congregation bow their heads 
in prayer, if we were all near Him what a wondrous power we 
would have — the priesthood of God pleading with Him that 
His kingdom may come and reign in our hearts and our 
churches and in the world. Oh, God of all grace, pour out 
upon us as a people the spirit of supplication, and teach us now 
and always how to pray, and give us the spirit of importunity to 
continue to pray until a new world shall be given unto Him. 
Mr. Sankey sang " Holy Spirit; Heavenly Guide." 
Mr. Moody said : At a place where we were holding meetings, 
in the gas-works, there was a man who came to our very first 
meeting. He was very much interested, and said, '' I will try and 
see if I can't lead some of the men in my shop to Christ." He 
began to talk with them. There were one hundred and seventy- 
five men on the night watch, and when I left they said twenty- 
five out of the hundred and seventy-five had been converted, 
and every night at midnight — that is the hour they have what 
might be called their midnight dinner — and every night at mid- 
night they have a prayer-meeting. When you and I sleep to- 
night all these young converts speak and pray, and it looks 
now as if every man in the gas-works was going to be brought 
to Christ. 

I have felt the Spirit of God working in my heart just as 
I have felt the wind blowing in my face. I can't reason it out. 
There are a great many things I can't reason out that I believe. 



454 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

I never could reason out the Creation. I can see the world, 
but I can't tell how God made it out of nothing. All your 
Tyndalls and your philosophers of the present day can't create 
one grain of sand out of nothing. But even these men will 
admit there is a creating power. There are a great many things 
that I can't explain and that I can't reason out, that I believe. 
I heard a commercial traveller say that he had heard that the 
ministry and religion of Jesus Christ was a matter of revelation 
and not investigation. " When it pleases God to reveal His 
Son to me," says Paul. There were a party of young men 
together, and those men went back to the country, and on their 
journey they made up their mind not to believe anything they 
could not reason out. An old man heard them, and presently 
he said, " I heard you say you would not believe anything you 
could not reason out." "Yes," they said, "that was so." 
"Well/' he said, "coming down on the train to-day, I noticed 
some geese, some sheep, some swine, and some cattle, all eat- 
ing grass. Can you tell me by what process that same grass 
was turned into hair, feathers, bristles, and wool ? Do you 
believe it is a fact ? " " Oh, yes," they said, " we can't help believ- 
ing that, though we fail to see it." "Well," said the old man, 
" I can't help believing in the regeneration of man when I see 
men that have been reclaimed. I see men that have been 
reformed. Haven't some of the very worst men in the city been . 
regenerated — picked up out of the pit and their feet put upon 
the rock and a new song put in their mouth ? It was cursing 
and blaspheming, and now it is praising God. Old things have 
passed away and all things have become new ; not reformed 
only, but regenerated — a new man in Christ Jesus." 

Look you, down there in the dark alleys of New York is a 
poor drunkard. I think if you want to get near hell, go to a 
poor drunkard's home. Go to the house of that poor miserable 
drunkard. Is there anything nearer like hell on earth ? See 
the want and distress that reigns there. But hark ! A footstep 
is heard at the door, and the children run and hide themselves. 
The patient wife waits to meet him. The man has been her 
torment. Many a time she has borne about for weeks the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 455 

marks of blows. Many a time that strong right hand has been 
brought down on her defenceless head. And now she waits 
expecting to hear his oaths and suffer his brutal treatment. He 
comes in and says to her : " I have been to the meeting, and I 
heard there that if I will I can be converted. I believe that 
God is able to save me." Go down to that house again in a 
few weeks and what a change ! As you approach you hear 
some one singing. It is not the song of a reveller, but they 
are singing the " Rock of Ages." The children are no longer 
afraid of him, but cluster around his knee. His wife is near 
him, her face lit up with happy glow. Is not that a picture of 
regeneration ? I can take you to thousands of such homes, made 
happy by the regenerating power of the religion of Christ. 
What men want is the power to overcome temptation, the power 
to lead a right life. 

The only way to get into the Kingdom of God is to be born 
into it. If the Archangel Gabriel was to wing his way here to- 
night, and we could have a chance to tell him all our wishes, 
we couldn't ask him for a better way of getting into the King- 
dom of God. Christ has made salvation ready for us, and all 
we must do is just to take it. Oh, may we not hesitate to take 
it ! There is a law in this country requiring that the President 
must be born in the country. When foreigners come to our 
shores they have no right to complain against such a law, which 
forbids them from ever becoming Presidents. Now hasn't 
God a right to make a law that all those who become heirs of 
eternal life must be born in His Kingdom ? An unregenerated 
man would rather be in hell than in heaven. Take a man 
whose heart is full of corruption and wickedness, and place him 
in heaven among the pure, the holy, and the redeemed, and he 
wouldn't want to stay there. My friends, if we are to be happy 
in heaven we must begin to make a heaven here on earth. 
Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. 

Mr. Sankey said that Sunday was the best day he had passed 
in New York. The inquiry-rooms were very interesting. He met 
several men from England who had been under the influence of 



456 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

the revival there and had since been converted. He then sang 
the hymn "Call them in, the broken hearted." 

The Rev. Dr. Osborne said he knew of three persons who were 
impressed at one of the Sunday meetings in the afternoon, and 
that Christians had gone home with them and labored until 9 
o'clock, when they were converted, and are now rejoicing in 
their faith. "We should learn from this," he said, "that when 
an inquirer comes to us we should never leave the person until 
conversion results." 

The subject of Mr. Moody's remarks was disobedience. 
He said : 

All the trouble *in the world originates in this little word. It 
is the cause of all misery, and is the open door through which 
it comes. It was there that Adam fell ; God told him that he 
shouldn't do a certain thing, and he did it. In the 15th chap- 
ter of First Samuel we read of sacrifices and obedience, and 
that God prefers being obeyed to having any sacrifice offered 
that men may choose. The first thing that God wants is obedi- 
ence. That's what we want in our families. If our children 
disobey us .there comes an alternative. They must learn to 
obey, or they or we must leave the house. It is the same with 
the kingdom of God. If we enter it we must obey. To obey 
is better than making sacrifice. Saul lost his crown, his throne, 
his son, his friend Samuel, and the friendship of his son-in-law 
David ; he turned his back on them all because of his disobe- 
dience, and he finally lost his life. But just turn to that other 
Saul over in the New Testament. He was obedient unto death. 
He had no Jonathan, save at the right hand of God. He had 
no crown, no throne, but he won them both. A blessing is 
promised all who will obey. God deals with individuals as 
with nations. The punishment is the same. Punishment 
comes alike upon families and individuals if they will not obey. 
A crisis may come when we do not know whether to obey God 
or our employers or possibly our parents. The Word of God 
makes the way clear. When we come into God's kingdom, 
" Whatsoever He saith to thee, do it." If the laws of the 
nation are in conflict with God's law, they must be broken. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 457 

Christ alone of all men obeyed God full}-. Obey Him and 
then God may look down .pleased with His children, and say, 
" This is my son, this is my daughter." Christ came to do 
God's will. When men disobey army orders they are court- 
martialed and shot. No one complains. Now, my friends, is 
there not as much reason why we should obey the orders of 
Heaven, and when we do not, should we not be punished ? 
Sinners are willing to do anything but obey God. Coming to 
him as a poor beggar is what they don't like. If they could 
buy salvation they would gladly do it. Some men down in 
Wall street, I fancy, would pay great prices. Many people come 
to me and say, " Mr. Moody, is it right for me to go to the 
theatre ; can I dance ? " That ain't it. Can we glorify God by 
doing such things ? It's a good deal better to be right with God 
and then he will look down with pleasure and bless us. 

Mr. Moody then prayed, thanking God for what he had seen 
in the inquiry-rooms the previous evening and especially for the 
conversion of a scoffer who had come into the meeting. 

The special words to which he directed attention were the 
words of Christ, " Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest." He said : 

We here find an invitation to come to Christ. He says, 
" Come unto me all." I like that word " all," because every 
one is included in it, The question that comes home to us all 
is, Shall we come ? Some people go to Christ with their good 
deeds, pure desires, good thoughts and good name. But this 
isn't what Christ wants. He alone wants the sins of men. 
They are all that he himself hasn't got, and he wants them. 
The moment we are willing to come to him with our sins, he 
will receive us. He will forgive and heal whoever brings his 
soul to him. God dealeth with us as we deal with our children. 
If your child does wrong, if he tells a lie, you want him to con- 
fess, and begin to talk with him. He may tell you that he is the 
best scholar in his class, that he is obedient, and that he loves 
you. But that ain't what you want. You want him to confess 
that he has told a lie. So let us learn to come before the Sa- 
viour and confess our sins, laying them at the feet of Jesus. But 
20 



458 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

by what right can we respond to this invitation ? Suppose the 
mayor of New York should invite all the Smiths to a banquet, 
and Mr. Sankey should go and try to get in on the plea that he 
was a singer. Or suppose a man should go whose name was 
Jones and who was a good scientist. Do you suppose they 
could get in when their names were not Smith ? Now, if you 
can prove that you are a sinner, this invitation from Christ ap- 
plies to you. Don't try to prove your worthiness but your un- 
worthiness. If you want rest come to Christ. It can't be 
obtained in the world. You can't buy it; your friends can't 
give it to you ; God don't call you without giving you the means 
of winning ; you can come if you will. O, may God give you 
the power to-day. 

After a prayer and the singing of a hymn, the Rev. Dr. 
Tucker said "the idea of Christ has become sadly confused of 
late in the world. Many think him to be far off, only to be 
reached in some indistinct and unknown way. The truth is that 
the idea of him should be simple, and that he is God in the 
flesh, ready at any moment to save and to help men. We must 
preach such a Christ and talk such a Christ. It is simply the 
old story, 'God so loved the world.' " 

The Rev. Dr. Seaver said there were no truer words than 
those of the old hymn, " If you tarry till you are better, you'll 
never come." There was no simpler definition of faith than the 
one given by the late Dr. Bushnell, that "it is that act whereby 
one person — a sinner — commits himself to another person — a 
Saviour." 

Third week of Mercy. 

Still the vast multitudes throng the Hippodrome and Mr. 
Moody stirs, and Sankey enthuses and soothes them. Speak- 
ing, at an eight o'clock in the morning meeting, on "occupy 
till I come/' he said : 

These words were addressed to us as well as to the Apostles. 
They are for every child of God — not to the elders or the min- 
isters merely, but to you and me and to every man and woman. 
We may divide the church into four classes. The first are ob- 



, 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 459 

jectors ; they do nothing but object, object, object. They are 
destructive. Nothing can live near them. They are always 
finding fault and complaining. They want their own way, will 
never be contented, should never have got into the church. 
The second class are obstructive ; they remain stable, and are 
a stumbling-block. Others are. idlers, who take no interest in 
the church. They are sound asleep, and Satan can do any- 
thing with them. 

To the other class I want to speak this morning. They are 
the workers. I would rather have one hundred Christian 
workers than one hundred converts. We must restore the 
standard. It is better to get ten men to work than to do ten 
men's work. I will almost say that three-fourths of the church 
is asleep. O, what a power the Church of God might become 
were its members ready to work for their friends' souls ! There 
are one thousand persons in this hall every night who would be 
glad if some one would speak with them. The trouble is we're 
afraid we'll offend some one, or that we'll make a mistake, and 
the result is that we do nothing. Now, there is a great diver- 
sity of gifts among Christians. Every man has a circle of 
friends among whom he has more influence than any one else. 
My friend here from the Philadelphia Gas Works has done 
more good among his companions than the best ministers in 
Philadelphia could have done. I'd rather have that man there 
than Dr. Tyng. I well remember one day in London I visited 
a dog market, where fights were going on. I tried in every way 
to draw the attention of the crowd, but failed. Finally, one of 
their own number began to speak. They stopped at once. In 
fifteen minutes that man did more than all of us. I know a 
Dublin man who circulates one hundred thousand dollars worth 
of tracts every year, and I've heard men say, " O, how I'd like 
to do that." I know another man — a reformed burglar — and I 
question whether he has not done as much good as the rich 
man in Dublin. Every man should use the talent God has 
given him. Last Friday night these reformed men from Phila- 
delphia gained the ears of men in that meeting who would not 
listen to me. I heard the other day of an irreligious man who 



460 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



t one 
a 
id 

: 



came to this city one day last week, and was stopping at 
of the hotels. On Wednesday morning he sent a boy out for a 
certain one of the city papers. The boy couldn't find it, and 
brought The Tribune. The man read the report of the meet- 
ings on the previous day. The story I had told of the tw< 
brothers who became converted on the same evening at differ- 
ent meetings had a power over him. He said it went to his 
soul. All that day and the next he remained in his room, and 
at last found light, and telegraphed the news to his friends. 

At this point Mr. Moody looked at his watch and said : But 
my time is up ; got to close right away ; agreed to let you go 
out in forty-five minutes; let us rise and sing, "Praise God 
from whom all blessings flow." 

Describing a noon meeting, the reporter says : 

Mr. Moody seldom preaches a sermon that fails to move a 
large part of his audience to tears. In some instances the 
power of his stories is very remarkable in this respect. But at 
the noon meeting, when Mr. Moody did no more than preside, 
the congregation was affected to a much greater degree than on 
any previous occasion. The day had been set apart for prayers 
and remarks on the subject of temperance, and ten men were 
present who had been converted from habits of intemperance 
while the Evangelists were in Philadelphia. The hour was 
given up to them, and four of the number stood in Mr. Moody's 
place and told the story of their fall and subsequent conversion. 
They represented different grades of society, and there was con- 
siderable variety in their experiences. The effect of their sim- 
ple and sometimes homely language was powerfully shown upon 
all present. Tears were in the eyes of men and women every- 
where. Ministers, members of the choir, policemen and re- 
porters, all yielded to the influences. Mr. Moody sat at the 
rear of the speakers and tears flowed down his cheeks like rain. 

The first prayer was offered by the Rev. A. D. Vail, and after 
a hymn had been sung Mr.. Moody said : "We have with us 
to-day several friends from Philadelphia who will tell what their 
experience has been. They are not accustomed to speaking to 
an audience like this, but I hope you will pray for them as they 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 46 1 

speak, and make them feel that they are among friends." He 
then read from John i. ? u, 12 : " He came unto His own and 
His own received Him not, but as many as received Him to 
them gave He power." "That," said Mr. Moody, "means 
every darkened soul in New York. There is no one so vile that 
He cannot save him." 

Mr. Jameson, a night laborer in the gas works in Philadelphia, 
was introduced. He said he was not accustomed to speaking 
before such an audience, but added : When you have the religion 
of Jesus Christ you are not afraid to do anything for His cause." 
He said he was formerly accustomed to make three dollars a day 
and go home and tell his wife he made only ten shillings. The dif- 
ference he spent for liquor. He had joined temperance societies, 
but they did not help him for any length of time. One evening he 
was out with his friends, and they were drinking, when one of 
them suggested that they go to the revival meetings, as he had 
heard that Mr. Sankey was a "red-hot singer." The sermon 
came home to him (Jameson), and he prayed. " The prayer," 
he said, " was the hardest work I ever did in my life. It made 
me sweat more than working around the hot fires of the gas 
works. We now have prayer-meetings at the works ; there are 
one hundred Christians there, and a ' gin mill ' near by is for 
sale." 

Mr. Moody then presented Mr. Linton to the audience. He 
said : I was once a very prosperous man, and had made a great 
deal of money. I began to drink. I lost my money. I left 
the church. I lost my little boy whom I idolized, and his death- 
bed scene made me reform ; but I only gave God one-half of 
my heart. I again became prosperous and took to drink, and 
lost my money and my friends, and went to ruin. A dear sister 
at last took me into the meetings at the Depot. I met Mr. 
Moody. After that I attended the meetings alone, and finally 
God blessed me with new life." 

The hymn " Yield not to temptation" was sung, and Mr. Hil- 
ton said : " I was once a low drunkard : I was beneath the brute, 
and you can't get much lower than that. My mother prayed 
for me, and my friends all left me. One night some of us went 



462 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

in to hear Mr. Sankey sing. When we were going away I said 
I thought he was a pretty good singer, but argued that ' Billy ' 
Moseman could beat him. I went the next night, and Mr. 
Moody preached from the text, ' Where art thou ? ' Those 
words kept ringing in my ears. I knew my degradation ; had 
even called upon God to smite me dead. But those words 
became my salvation, and I am a new man. I would not give 
what happiness I have known for the wealth of millionaires. 
My family and my niece have now all come to Christ, and we 
are happy." 

Mr. Anderson said he had become intemperate while in the 
army, had reformed and then again had turned to drink. " I 
became," he said, " a perfect slave to liquor. I have taken a 
razor to my throat in moments of despair. My friends all 
deserted me, and there was none who cared for me but my wife 
and my aged father and mother. They all prayed for me for 
years. I went to one of the meetings. I kept repeating the 
words ' turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die.' I had a great strug- 
gle, and at last was- on my knees, and a great load was lifted 
from off my shoulders." 

Mr. Reid, a fine-looking young man, said he was a helpless 
drunkard at twenty-one years of age. He had taken pledge 
after pledge, and all to no purpose. His mother loved him ten- 
ded) 7 . He read to the audience a letter he had once received 
from her. One night he came home after a long debauch in a 
neighboring city, and his mother met him kindly. He fell sick,, 
and when he had recovered he was told that his mother was at 
the point of death. He then thought that he had murdered her. 
He resolved again to reform, and he did reform. " God," he 
said, " was so good to me as to raise that mother from her bed 
of sickness." 

Mr. Moody then prayed, with a voice choked by his deep 
emotion, that these men might be blessed, and might have 
strength to always keep near Christ. The meeting was then 
dismissed with the benediction. 

At another meeting the subject of Mr. Moody's remarks was 
Hope. He said : 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 463 

If I should question every one here to-day I have no doubt 
each would be found with a hope. But is it a true or a false 
hope ! If it is false it is worse than none. Job speaks about 
the hypocrite, and says : " Will God hear his cry when trouble 
cometh upon him." Solomon says in Proverbs that " the hope 
of the unjust man shall perish." If you have false hopes of 
heaven, the best thing you can do is to give them up. For 
what are they good for ? Will they bear you over Jordan ? Will 
they sustain you beyond the grave ? But true hope is not in 
regard to eternal life. That is secured to us if we are born of 
God. Our hopes are of the resurrection of Christ. His second 
coming and our own resurrection. It is written, " He that be- 
lieveth hath eternal life." The Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven, the dead shall be raised, and we shall meet Him in the 
air. It is a glorious hope. All that believe shall rise. That 
is a hope sure and steadfast. Some one says that joy is like a 
lark that sings in the morning, but hope is like a nightingale 
that sings in the night. We won't need hope after we get to 
heaven. But it takes us there. You can have Christ and this 
hope to-day if you will. " He came unto His own and His own 
received Him not, but as many as received Him to them gave 
He power." 

After a prayer and the singing of the hymn, " Tis the promise 
of God full salvation to give," the Rev. Dr. Anderson spoke 
briefly. The Rev. Dr. White said that many persons cherished 
a h6pe that they would prepare for the future late in life. But 
the apostle says, " How shall ye escape if ye neglect so great 
salvation ? " 

Mr. Sankey then sang a hymn alone, and a season of silent 
prayer followed, after which the Rev. Dr. Hall said : " The 
word of the living God is the warrant for our belief and hope. 
There are delusive hopes, and how shall a man know that his is 
of the true type ? A man knows his own failings ; he has an 
inner consciousness of these. He knows if his hope be a well- 
grounded one. True hope is elevating, purifying, and makes a 
man God-like according as it is strong." 

Mr. Wells announced that the Committee had set apart Sat- 



464 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

urday for special prayer for Christian work, and that he pro- 
posed now to have a prayer-meeting. What we need now is 
prayer, more prayer for Christian work, for Christ work, that 
brought Him from heaven to this earth of ours, the work for 
which He hung upon the cross. The only way I take strength 
in prayer is to take the Bible and lay my hand upon it and say, 
" Lord, Thou hast said it." We have an invitation to prayer. 
Let us accept it. 

Mr. Wells then drew some instructive conclusions from the 
prayer of David, after which he related an incident of a little 
girl who came to him the other night, and said : " If there 
should be a little child who has not been brought to God, I 
should like him to come to me." I went down into the au- 
dience, and saw a mother with a boy by her side, and I went up 
to her and said : " Is your boy a Christian ? " She said : " No ; 
but I wish he was." I said : " Johnny, w r ould you like to be a 
Christian?" He said: "I don't know." I took that little 
child by the hand and led him to the little girl and left them 
together. When I came by, about fifteen minutes afterwards, 
they were both on their knees, praying. When the little boy 
came down, he said to his mother : " Mamma, have you found 
Jesus ? — I found Him up there in the gallery." I went home 
with that little girl, and she said to her mother : " Only think, 
Jesus let me tell that little boy the way to Him." 
Again Mr. Moody discoursing on Faith said : 
But now the question is, Who shall we have faith in ? A man 
got up in one of our young men's meetings the other night and 
wanted to know why it was there were so many that backslid. 
One reason for backsliding is because men are not sound in 
their faith ; it is because they have not really been converted to 
God. A good many men are converted to a church ; they say, 
" I like that church ; it is a beautiful church, and there is beau- 
tiful singing ; I like that quartet choir and the grand organ, and 
there is a good minister." And so they are converted to the 
church, and they are converted to the singing, and converted 
to the organ, and converted to the minister, or they are con- 
verted to the people that go there. They get into good society 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 465 

by going there. But that is not being born of God, or being 
converted to God. Once there was an old chap sat down 
among some army soldiers, who were telling stories of adven- 
ture, and one fellow got up and told all about how he had back- 
slid, but the old soldier said, " I think there is some mistake, 
and the truth of the matter is that you have never yet slid for- 
ward." Now if a man has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he 
has got something he can anchor to, and the anchor will hold ; 
and when the hour of temptation comes to him, and the hour 
of trial comes to him, the man will stand firm. If we are only 
converted to man and our faith is in man, we will certainly be 
disappointed. How very often we hear a man say, " There is 
a member of the church who cheated me out of five dollars, and 
I am not going to have anything more to do with people who 
call themselves Christians." But if the man had had faith in 
Jesus Christ, you do not suppose he would have had his faith 
shattered because some one cheated him out of five dollars, do 
you ? What we want is some one to have faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Turn to the prophecy of Jeremiah, 17th chap- 
ter, beginning with the 5th verse : " Thus saith the Lord, Cursed 
be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm, and 
whose heart departeth from the Lord. Blessed is the man that 
trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is." But cursed 
is the man who puts his trust in man ; that is the reason why so 
many people are all the time being disappointed, and why there 
are so many that find their faith shaken. It is because they 
have been trusting in man, and man has failed them, and they 
have been trusting in themselves, and their hearts are deceitful 
and desperately wicked, and we cannot have trust in ourselves ; 
and because man has failed us, or because we have failed our- 
selves, we tl»nk God will fail us. But if we put our trust in 
the God of Jacob, He will surely not fail us. 

At the close of his sermon he said : " I can't help but think 
that we have had the best meeting to-night that we ever had. I 
am glad to see so many here." " Faith," he seems fitted to ex- 
pound, for a man who has known him long and well said the 
other day, "He has the largest faith of any man I ever knew." 



466 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

His thoro.ugh study of the Bible, to the exclusion of almost every 
other book, has disciplined him in the use of simple and direct 
speech. Before his Bible Mr. Moody bows with a sublime rev- 
erence. He once said it was worth more than all the libraries 
in Europe. A learned clergyman has said, " Give me a book 
that is Bibler than this Bible and I'll accept it." Mr. Moody 
one evening held his Bible at arm's length above and beyond his 
head, and said if any one would offer him a better book he would 
make the exchange. "But don't ask me," he continued, "to 
give up this book until you can offer a better one in its place." 
With God supreme above all things, and full of love and mercy, 
the ideal Christian is to Mr. Moody one who accepts this love 
in all its fullness, and bows in supreme humility before it. He 
must banish his pride, cease to value the successes and honors 
of life, and have an unbounded faith in God, and be willing "to 
get down in the dust like Abraham, and work and wait for the 
blessing." 

When Mr. Moody had finished his sermon, he asked the ladies 
and the men to separate and form meetings in each of the halls, 
which was done, while the choir sang " Only trust Him." A 
marked interest was developed at these meetings, and the in- 
quiry-rooms were thronged until a late hour. 

Fourth Week of Revival. 

The attendance was gratifying in spite of the unfavorable 
weather, and on some occasions overwhelming. Mr. Moody an- 
nounced every evening that he would address the young men of 
the city on Sunday morning, his subject being " The Prophet 
Daniel." Tickets to the number of seven thousand were issued, 
and five thousand of them were limited in the distribution ex- 
clusively to young men, the remaining two thousand being given 
to any others that might apply for them. The influence of the 
soft Spring morning, and the general publicity given to the sub- 
ject of the meeting, had the effect of bringing out a very large 
attendance — the largest that has ever been seen in the building 
on Sunday morning. In the course of his sermon Mr. Moody 
said : 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 467 

When Daniel went to Babylon he took his stand ; the meat 
and the wine which were offered him he refused to eat. He 
knew that the wine had been offered up to idols, and he refused 
to partake of what had been thus polluted. He saw that the 
law of God and the law of the great king Nebuchadnezzar were 
in conflict, but he obeyed the law of God. He was a man of 
faith and of belief. In ten days he looked healthier than any 
of those who ate as the king had ordered. He had taken his 
stand for God and God blessed him. Young man, you that 
have just come to New York, is there not a lesson in this story 
for you? Does your employer ask you to work on Sunday? 
Take your stand. If God's law conflicts with man's, adhere to 
the living God. He will help you. You may have promised 
that loving, praying mother of yours that you would not go to 
the theatre. Are you tempted to go ? Does some friend invite 
you and urge you to go with him ? Take your stand. Learn to 
say no. Yield with no compromise. It is this miserable, com- 
promising spirit that ruins so many. Supposing we of these 
times had been in Babylon when Daniel was tempted. Why, 
we'd advised something like this : " Now, Daniel, you know you 
are not in Jerusalem. You're a poor heathen captive " — now 
here's the advice of the Christianity of the nineteenth century — 
"you're in Babylon, Daniel, and do as the people of Babylon 
do. You know wine is better than water, and water won't 
agree with you. The water of the Euphrates will make you 
sick. We know the wine has been offered to idols, but God 
will wink at it if you drink while you are down here." But 
thank God, that man took his stand and kept his faith. 

The king had a dream, and Daniel said, "I'll tell the king his 
dream ; only give me time." Ah, see what faith he had. He 
knew that God would keep him right. And that night he 
prayed long and faithfully that God would reveal the secret. 
He went to sleep, and had a dream, in which God revealed the 
secret. He arose and went to the king, and was asked if he could 
tell the dream. Daniel, with the same faith in God, said that his 
God was able ; and gave God all the glory. He told the king 
what he had dreamed, how his Chaldean kingdom would be 



468 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



hers 



overthrown and divided, how Greeks and Romans and others 
would overrun it and divide its possessions. " That's my dream," 
said Nebuchadnezzar, and an edict went forth making Daniel a 
ruler among the mighty. But another trial came. The king 
ordered his image to be set up on the plains. There are three 
men who will not bow down to it. They are Shadrach, Me- 
shach, and Abed-nego. And the king is very angry, and or- 
dered the furnace to be heated ten times hotter. And when 
they came forth with not so much as a hair of their heads 
burned, another edict went forth that any man who said any- 
thing against the God of Shadrach shall incur the wrath of the 
king. Young man, will you take your stand as those men did ? 

"Ah," said Mr. Moody, "the time is up; just made a be- 
ginning. I'll finish it next Sunday morning. Mr. Sankey will 
now sing ' Dare to be a Daniel. ' " 

Noticeable features in all of Mr. Moody's preaching are the 
depth of feeling and abundance of ideas which he seems unable 
to express. Many times he suffers under very strong emotions, 
and his thoughts come so fast, and sorAetimes in such confused 
forms, that he is wholly unable to find relief in words. Last 
evening he was more deeply moved than he has ever been be- 
fore since he came to New York. His theme was the compas- 
sion of Christ, and was more capable than almost any other of 
producing such an effect upon him. " Go with me," he said, 
|C up Mount Calvary to-night to where the Son of God hangs 
between two thieves, and before the Roman centurion smites 
Him in the side with a spear, hear Him say ' Father forgive 
them, for they know not what they do.' " He also referred to the 
Saviour weeping over Jerusalem, and said that wherever He 
saw human suffering " the great heart of the Son of God was 
moved with compassion." " Won't you receive him," he asked 
in almost piteous tones, " and do you see no beauty in him 
that you like ? " Turning to several gentlemen in the pulpit 
he called them by name and said, " Didn't you come here 
in Christ's name ? " and being answered in the affirmative, 
he faced the audience and leaned over the railing, saying in a 
half-weeping voice, " Ah, the Son of God is here to-night. Do 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 469 

you doubt it ? " Near the close of this discourse Mr. Moody 
pointed toward a young man in the audience near the stage, and 
said : " Won't you have Him, young man ? O, won't you have 
Him to-night ? " " Yes," came the reply. " Well, thank God," 
said the evangelist ; " we've been praying for that young man 
two or three days.'' 

Mr. Moody took a very active part in the services with the 
young men, as is his custom. He is very much gratified at the 
success of the work among the young men, and he always exerts 
himself with an unusual degree of zeal whenever holding meet- 
ings for them. The interest among them seems to be con- 
stantly deepening ; new converts are obtained every night, and, 
from the remarks they make in the meeting, it is evident that a 
deep religious feeling is rapidly spreading among them. 

The inquiry-room is the place where the real harvests of the 
revival work are gathered, and of these the public know and 
always will know a very imperfect part. Great crowds at the 
meetings, nearly all the city ministers interested in the work, 
forcible and affecting sermons, these are features of the evan- 
gelists' labors which the public can. see and about which it can 
read. But the quiet of the inquiry-room, where groups of men 
and women are communing with each other in silent prayer or 
in conversation subdued to a whisper, and which constitute the 
best and most trustworthy tests of the influence exerted, no one 
can thoroughly appreciate or accurately estimate. Several 
times yesterday Mr. Moody referred to the meeting for young 
men on the evening before as the most remarkable he had yet 
seen, and Mr. Moody is not a man who often speaks from the 
pulpit of the progress of his efforts. But others also bear wit- 
ness to a marvellous work among the unconverted, and say they 
never saw anything like it in their lives before. Last evening 
when the sermon was finished the men were requested to retire 
to the small hall for a meeting there to last forty-five minutes. 
Nearly all the men present did so while the choir sang " I need 
Thee every hour." Those who went into the small hall repre- 
sented all ages, from boys of fifteen years to men with grey hair 
and infirm step. Some showed marked evidence of anxiety in 



470 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

their faces ; there were none who were not in a serious mood ; 
many joined in singing the hymn as they passed through the 
aisles. The ladies remained in the large room, and Mr. 
Sankey led the meeting, Mr. Moody going with the men. In the 
meantime several anxious persons went into the inquiry rooms, and 
as the meetings went on the number was continually augmented 
until the spacious apartments were filled to their capacity. 

About two thousand persons assembled in the Madison ave- 
nue hall at four o'clock, and Mr. Moody was to address the 
meeting on the subject ' : How to Deal with Inquirers." The 
majority of those present was composed of the members of dif- 
ferent evangelical churches. Mr. Moody said that those who 
want Christ can be divided into four classes : — First, professing 
Christians; second, those who think others are worse than they; 
third, the backsliders, and fourth, those who are completely 
broken down in sin. There are a great many who when called 
upon will tell you that he is a good enough Christian, that he 
don't beat his wife, he does not do innumerable things that 
other men do. That is very often because he has had 
more light than other men have had, not any thing of him- 
self. That is the feeling .of self-righteousness, and such men 
are the hardest to talk to, because they think they know every- 
thing themselves ; but they can be reached, and I have seen 
more than one of that kind go out of the inquiry room a hum- 
bler and a wiser man. Then the third class, the backsliders. 
They can be talked to. Just read to them Jeremiah, chapter 
2 — " I will heal the backslider ; I will love him freely." That 
is enough. Let a man believe in Christ and accept His word. 
All he has to do is to study the Bible, and each will find some- 
thing applicable to his want. The broken down sinner can be 
reached, because, Christ who saved the thief on the cross, has 
promised to help all who call on Him. What I want to impress 
on you is that, to bring men to Christ, all that is necessary is 
to know, feel, understand and be able to explain the Word of 
God. The meeting concluded with the singing of the hymn, 
l - Work in my vineyard ; there is plenty to do." 



the work of grace in new york. 47 i 

Drawing Water out of the Wells of Salvation. 

After the singing of the Seventy-first hymn Mr. Moody preached 
on the subject of the day — "Joy." He said: — I doubt a man's 
conversion who has not joy. If a man who thought he was 
converted last night told me he had not joy I should not believe 
in his thorough conviction. There is the backslider's prayer, 
" Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation." The way to keep 
that joy is to study the Word and work. When the word is 
thoroughly studied by you then give it out. People say, ' why is 
it that so many ministers break down ? ' Some think it is over- 
work. It is nothing of the kind ; it is fretting. They have not 
joy, for the joy of the Lord is thy strength. With joy you shall 
draw water out of the wells of salvation. There are three kinds 
of joy in the Bible — the joy of finding Christ, the joy of seeing 
others converted, and the joy that John speaks of — the joy of 
seeing the disciples walking in truth. Let us read John xv., n. 
" These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain 
in you." When we have joy how easy it is to go out and bring 
souls. If we have joy bubbling up in our hearts all the world 
can see it. It is not our sermons that convert men, it is our 
lives. Mr. Sankey sung the noth hymn, commencing, "Joy to 
the world, the day is come." the whole congregation joining in. 

After the singing one of the converted recited his experience. 
He said : — Strange as it may appear to many of you present, a 
few weeks ago I was unhappy, but since then I have found that 
joy. About three weeks ago I thought of coming to New York. 
I live one thousand miles away. My family tried to persuade 
me not to, but I felt some power drawing me to this city ; the 
same power brought ine to this building and so to the 
inquiry room. I met a gentleman from Boston and we walked 
together to the St. Nicholas Hotel, and he talked to me of 
Christ. The next day I went to the inquiry room and Mr. 
Moody introduced me to a lady, whose look of internal joy 
and benevolence struck me. She talked to me for a long time. 
The next day I came again and I found this lady working with 
two other young men, and the look of holy joy on her face 



472 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



ayed, 



could not be mistaken. That night I went home and prayed, 
and that night I became a Christian. 

Rev. Charles F. Deems followed. He took for his text, 
" Well done, thou good and faithful servant ; enter into the joy 
of thy Lord." He said : — There is no use, my friend, when we 
have once found the joy of the Lord that we should relapse into 
dyspeptic wretchedness. We can find the joy while we are here 
on earth, and we can keep it, for there is even joy in sorrow if 
we put our full trust in God, firmly believing that in all emer- 
gencies we can rely on Him, and never in vain. This habit of 
looking back into the little petty cares and troubles of this world, 
when we have so much to look forward to — it is foolish. Let 
us shout out for the Lord, and with all our banners flying. Let 
us use all our gifts to praise Him ; our eloquence, our wits, our 
honor, our musical gifts — all our talents in the furtherance of 
His work. Let the world see in our face the joy that is in 
our heart. 

Mr. Sankey then rose to sing the hymn " Joy and Sorrow," 
but before doing so said that the words of Dr. Deems struck a 
key-note, that Christians ought not to have such long faces and 
look as if they were predestined for some awful fate, instead of 
being intended to enter into the joy of the Lord forever. A 
smiling face, a pleasing address, or a kind, thoughtful solicitude 
brings more souls to God than a long dyspeptic face with ever 
so much preaching. Mr. Sankey continued at some length on 
this subject, and concluded by singing the above mentioned hymn. 
Dr. Hep worth delivered a short address, in which he said 
that Monday was generally a gloomy day among preachers, but 
this morning he felt like shouting " Glory, Hallelujah." There 
were about thirty to thirty-five names read for entrance into 
his church, and of those only two came with letters of introduc- 
tion ; the others came by profession, and right out of the world, 
and I think, said he, 1 can see written over the signature of the 
Holy Spirit the initials of Mr. Moody and Mr. Sankey. Among 
these there is one incident I would like to mention. Some 
years ago, a very dear friend of mine to-day was engaged to be 
married to a very beautiful girl. As he looked into the future 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 473 

he had everything that heart could desire ; money, grand busi- 
ness prospects, health, and in the immediate future a wife and a 
very happy home indeed. He forgot all his past, and in imagin- 
ation he lived in the castles which he built in the air, and every 
castle had a golden minaret, for when we build with the imagin- 
ation we do not count the cost. All at once, as though a flash 
of lightning had come out of a clear, cloudless sky, sickness fell 
upon this lady, and she died at once. The shock of course, was 
terrible. He was a man of large heart and generous sympa- 
thies, and those are they who make the best or worst men in 
the world. Your mean men keep along an even track an equal 
distance from good on the one side and evil on the other, but 
when you have generous men to deal with they either move on 
the mountain top or are thrown down into the valley. And my 
poor friend, thrown down by his despair, rushed into every sort 
of dissipation which New York life affords, and New York life 
is very rich in that sort of material ; and he spent an immense 
amount of money — nearly all he had. What he wanted wasfor- 
getfulness, and he went on from bad to worse until he reached 
low tide and the mud of moral iniquity ; and one day in the 
midst of all this, by one of those instincts you and I know, he 
was led to open the safe and take from it a little bundle con- 
taining a little silver key, which he had turned in the casket of 
his beloved, and next to it was a tress of auburn hair \ and as 
he looked at them he started back in horror as he reflected 
upon the gulf that now separated him from her, and he turned 
to his friend and asked if he thought he should ever see her 
again, and was answered : " I don't think you ever will. I 
don't see how you can. The life you and I have been living 
these last twelve months don't lead that way. It leads down 
the other side, and you and I can never look a pure woman in 
the face again." And the poor fellow burst into tears, and then 
wringing his hands he cried : " Oh, I must see her again, and I 
will meet her again ; if there is anything in religion by which I 
can get rid of my past life I am going to get rid of it, and I am 
going to right about face, and keep my face toward, and my eyes 
upon our home. And if she is in heaven, I am going there too." 



474 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

And in due course be came to see me, and wrung my hand in a 
way I cannot describe, but there was great resolution in his 
heart ; and last Sunday morning, with the memory of that 
golden tress and silver key, George, for that was his name, joined 
my church, and being asked if he would like to go back to the 
past, he exclaimed, " I have found a home, and I cannot go back 
to despair,'' and he is marching on that journey to-night to the 
tune of glory, glory, hallelujah. Thank God for that. 

Mr. Haight said : About four years ago I was a confirmed 
drunkard, but one day I went into the Water Street Mission 
House, without a shirt or a pair of shoes, and there I knelt down 
and prayed God to help me to overcome my terrible sin, and 
blessed be God, I am to-day a new man. Before I went to 
the mission I had taken pledges and formed resolutions, but 
they were of no avail ; I only fell back into my former state. But 
when I trusted all to God, I was able to resist, and I can to-day 
say, that He is able to save to the uttermost. Then followed 
addresses by Mr. Sawyer and Mr. Bunting, two other reformed 
drunkards, Mr. Sawyer likening the inquiry-rooms to the pool 
of Bethesda. 

The hymn "Waiting and Watching " was sung by Mr. Sankey ; 
and the Rev. Dr. C. D. Foss said : 

A traveler in an African desert, weary, foot-sore, exhausted, 
rushed down into a little gully where he found a little water to 
slake his thirst, coming up on the other side. He was perishing 
of hunger. He spied a little script in which something was 
carefully wrapped. He said to himself, (i Some one who has 
preceded me has left a little bread to save the life of the unfor- 
tunate one who follows him." But when he had torn it open, 
he threw it down, exclaiming, "My God! It is only pearls." 
Bread enough to sustain his life for six hours would have been 
worth more than untold jewels. I bless God that I have had 
every day since I began to need it, my daily bread. I went one 
day to the Deaf and Dumb Asylum on the upper end of this Isl- 
and with one of its managers, and when I had gone through it, 
and my heart had been touched with gratitude, as I saw what 
efforts were being made to help those who lacked a single sense, 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 475 

I asked the superintendent how many of those poor people, 
after eight or ten years of training, were able to read with in- 
telligence and appreciation the columns of a newspaper or an 
ordinary book. He told me not one in ten, and I came away 
blessing God that I had the sense of hearing and all my senses 
and faculties. 

I recollect when I was sixteen years old, and my father lay 
dying ; when he gathered his four sons around him and g-ave 
them his dying charge and blessing, in the course of which he 
spoke these words : " My son, know thou the God of thy father, 
and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. If thou 
seekest Him, He will cherish thee ; but if thou forsakest Him, 
He will cast thee out forever." Then he went home, and my 
brothers are there, too, and I am on the way. 

Last summer one of the brightest girls in my Sunday-school 
class sickened and felt she was to die. Calling her Christian 
father to her bedside, she said, "Father, tell me exactly what 
it is to be a real Christian." Her father told her, and then she 
said, " But suppose you do love Jesus and believe in Him, but 
are afraid there is still some sin in your heart, what then?" 
"Cast it all on Jesus," said the father. Then she said, " Fath- 
er, kneel down and pray beside me." And he knelt down and 
prayed as only a Christian father at the death-bed of his only 
child can pray. Then she looked up and said, " Now it is all 
right, and I am ready to go." And she lay there for three weeks 
in the very light of Heaven, and then left us for the perfect day. 

For all these things I thank God, and thousands here to-night 
will join me in this thanksgiving. By prayer and supplication 
and thanksgiving may your requests be made known unto God, 
especially in your troubles here to-night. There are multitudes 
broken-hearted treading the thorny path, knowing not what to 
do. Let me tell you, go down on your knees and say, "Oh 
God, I thank thee " — and trust that he will help you finish the 
sentence — you will find something to praise him for, and your 
prayer will find answer. 

Mr. Sankey said : In about the eighth or tenth seat here one 
evening sat a little girl. It was at the prayer-meeting at the 



476 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

conclusion of the preaching services. Our friends on the plat* 
form here discovered a beautiful little girl sitting there very 
deeply interested in talking to a little companion that was with 
her. They seemed to become so interested that one of the la- 
dies went down from the platform to sit by them and listen and 
see what the little one was saying. The dear child, she found, 
was preaching Jesus Christ, telling how much Jesus loved her, 
and how much she loved Jesus, and asking this little one if she 
would not become his disciple. The lady said to her, " I think 
if that little girl shall speak a word for the Son of God in this 
dark city, shall I remain idle any more ? By God's grace I will 
speak to somebody to-night." .And she went right to work and 
found an anxious soul in this very place, and spoke about the 
Lord Jesus that night for the first time in her life. So " A lit- 
tle child shall lead them." When the word of God is preached 
these little ones can be led to Jesus as well as the larger ones. 
I said, " Thank God that while the lady workers are gathering 
in, the little children, too, are at work, bringing souls to Jesus 
Christ." These things I am glad of. I am glad, too, and praise 
Him because of the blessing that He has brought down upon our 
service of song. I could stand here until to-morrow morning,! 
think, and tell you of instances precious to my heart where the 
singing of these simple Gospel hymns had been the means in 
God's hand of awakening an interest in souls, and of hundreds 
that have been led through this instrumentality to take the first 
step toward Jesus. 

Said Mr. Moody : O, sinner, trust in the Lord Jesus to save 
you, and he will do it. Here is a man who has tried to stop 
swearing many a time and failed, haven't you ? You have tried 
to stop drinking many a time and failed, haven't you? You 
have tried to keep down your temper many a time and failed, 
haven't you ? It was failure all the time. Now, I want you to 
give all your efforts up and just fall right into the arms of a lov- 
ing Lord and trust him to do it. O how quickly it will be done 
if you only let him come into the heart. There will be no trou- 
ble. If the fountain is only right, the stream will be pure. I 
was preaching some time ago in a little town in Illinois, in the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 477 

open air. Crowds came out every night to the meeting. A 
gentleman constantly drove up in a beautiful carriage, and with 
a cigar in his mouth always remained listening until the preach- 
ing was over, and then he would drive away. I asked who 
he was. They told me he was one of the wealthiest men in 
that place. I said, " I noticed him to-night weeping." They 
laughed at the idea. "Weeping," they said; u O if you were 
only to hear the report he gives of your work." " I don't care 
if he is what you say," I said, "the man is interested." I 
heard that 

He was the profanest man in that whole country, that he 
cursed the very wife of his bosom, and that he even used very 
profane language before his children. I thought, however, I 
would go to see him. People advised me not — they thought it 
would hurt my feelings. But I went up and stood and waited 
just as he was coming out of his front gate. " This is Mr. P. ? " 
I said. " Yes, that is my name ; what do you want ? " he said. 
He knew me very well. " I want to ask you a question if you 
have no objection," I said. "What is it ? " he said in a gruff 
way. " I am told," I said, " that you have more wealth than 
any man in this part of the country. God has blessed you with 
great wealth and with a nice family and much comfort, and all 
He has received from you is that you curse Him and blaspheme 
Him. Why treat Him in that way ? " Tears came trickling 
down his cheeks, and he says " Come in, come in." When I 
had sat down, he said : " The fact is, Mr. Moody, if I have tried 
once I have tried a thousand times to stop swearing. I am so 
ashamed of* myself sometimes I can't hold my head up. There 
is no hope for me. I can't stop it." I said : " I know you 
can't, but you can trust the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will 
stop it for you." He thought there was no chance for him. 
"Why, my dear friend," I said, " He just came to do that very 
thing, to give you power to overcome sin. If you will only 
come to the Lord Jesus Christ there will be no trouble. All 
you want is to let Him in." I got down and prayed with him, 
and he then asked me what I would advise him to do. " I tell 
you, what you'll do," I said, " Go up to the church prayer-meet- 



47 S MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

ing and ask them to pray for you." He wouldn't go, he never 
was in the church. "Though there may be bad things said 
against them," I said, " they are the very best friends you have 
got. Get up and tell them you want them to pray that God 
will save your soul." The next morning in the prayer-meeting 
who should come in but this wealthy man ! He put his hand on 
the back of the seat where I sat and I felt it tremble. " My 
friends," he said, " If God can save a poor wretch like me will 
you pray Him for me ? " Inside of a year he became an elder 
there, and is a bright and shining light in that church now. 
O, sinner, it will be failure, failure, failure, until you accept the 
Lord Jesus Christ, but when you do He will save you. You 
haven't got to go home to ask God for salvation. 

Perhaps there is no subject in the Bible that takes hold of 
me with as great force as this subject of the wandering sinner. 
It enters deeply into my own life. It comes right home into 
our own family. The first thing 1 remember was the death of 
my father. It was a beautiful day in June when he fell sud- 
denly dead. The shock made such an impression on me, young 
as I was, that I shall never forget it. I remember nothing 
about the funeral, but his death has made a lasting impression 
upon me. The next thing that I remember was that my mother 
was taken very sick. And the next thing that occurred in our fam- 
ily that impressed itself on my young mind was that my eldest 
brother, to whom my mother looked up to comfort her in her 
loneliness and in great affliction, became a wanderer — he left 
home. I need not tell you how that mother mourned for her 
boy — how she waited day by day and month by month for his 
return. I need not say how night after night she watched and 
wept and prayed. Many a time we were told to go to the post- 
office to see if a letter had not come from him. But we had to 
bring back the sorrowful words, "No letter yet, mother." 
Many a time have I waked up and heard my mother pray : 
" Oh, God, bring back my boy ! " Many a time did she lift 
her heart up to God in prayer for her boy. When the wintry 
gale would blow around the house, and the storm rage 
without the door, her dear face would wear a terribly anxious 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 479 

look, and she would utter in piteous tones, " Oh, my dear boy ; 
perhaps he is now on the ocean this fearful night. Oh, God 
preserve him ! " We would sit around the fireside of an even- 
ing and ask her to tell us about our father, and she would talk 
for hours about him. But if the mention of my eldest brother 
should chance to come in, then all would be hushed ; she never 
spoke of him but with tears. Many a time did she try to con- 
ceal them, but all would be in vain, and when Thanksgiving 
Day would come, a chair used to be set for him. Our friends 
and neighbors gave him up, but our mother had faith that she 
would see him again. One day in the middle of summer a 
stranger was seen approaching the house. He came up on the 
east piazza and looked upon my mother through the window. 
The man had a long beard, and when my mother first saw him 
she did not start or rise. But when she saw the great tears 
trickling down his cheeks she cried, " It's my boy, my dear, 
dear boy," and sprang to the window. But there the boy stood 
and said, " Mother, I will never cross the threshold until you 
say you forgive me." Do you think he had to stay there long ? 
No, no. Her arms were soon around him, and she wept upon 
his shoulder, as did the father of the prodigal son. I heard of 
it while in a distant city, and what a thrill of joy shot through 
me. But what joy on earth can equal the joy in Heaven when 
a prodigal comes home ! This night your father wants you. 
Dear son, come to Him. Confess your sin, and He will have 
mercy upon you and forgive you. May Heaven's blessing rest 
upon every soul here is my prayer. 

A Month of Grace. 

The vast swelling throngs surge in around the Hippodrome ; 
and to accommodate people from out of town who could not 
stay to the preaching service at night, Mr. Moody consented at 
the beginning of the fifth week to hold a meeting at 4 p. m. and 
preach the same sermon which he delivered at night. The au- 
dience were admitted only by tickets, and great numbers were 
thus able to hear the evangelists and return to their homes for 



480 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

the night. The second month of grace he grandly inaugurated 
by his sermon on The Blood. 

The reporter said : for extreme care in preparation, for apt- 
ness and force of illustrations, and for showing his great knowl- 
edge of the Bible, this sermon was perhaps the most noteworthy 
that he has yet delivered here. It is an old sermon but it has 
been remodeled and improved frequently. The evangelist's 
views in general have usually escaped sharp criticism even from 
those who are considered to be the less orthodox followers of 
Christianity. But the sermon on " The Blood " invokes some 
opposition and criticism in certain quarters. Mr. Moody antici- 
pated this, and meets the arguments of his critics in his usual 
blunt and direct way. In his prayer before the sermon he said : 
" Keep Thy servant from teaching any error." When he had 
opened his remarks he referred to the blood, saying : " That 
scarlet line began its course way back in Eden, and runs all 
through the Bible ; it is the scarlet thread that binds the leaves." 

The sermon was as follows : 

We have for our subject to-day, The Blood. I would like to 
call your attention to a few passages of Scripture in different 
portions of the Word of God. The first is in the 3d chapter of 
Genesis, 21st verse : " Unto Adam also and to his wife did the 
Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them." That is the 
first glimpse we have of the shedding of blood. 

To me it is a very sweet thought that God thus dealt in grace 
with Adam before He dealt in government Some people com- 
plain of God's dealing with Adam, that He was very severe, 
but you will find God dealt in love with him. Some one said, 
He put the lamp of promise into his hand before he drove him 
out of Eden. The first thing was the promise that the seed of 
the woman should bruise the serpent's head, and in the very 
same chapter we find that God consented to kill those innocent 
animals to make coats of skins. Of course the blood had to be 
shed in order to furnish those garments. As they went out of 
Eden, I think Adam might have said to Eve, " These garments 
are a token of God's love." God clothed them. He put cher- 
ubim at the gate of the garden, and a flaming sword to protect 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 48 1 

the Tree of Life, that they should not come and eat; but we 
find when the right time came He took that very sword and 
opened the way back to the Tree of Life, so that we can all 
come to it now if we will. 

In the 4th chapter of Genesis we find the great doctrine of 
the blood brought out : " And Abel, he also brought of the 
firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof, and the Lord had 
respect unto Abel and to his offering." In the morning of cre- 
ation God had marked out a way for man to go. Abel took 
God's way; Cain wanted to go his own way. That is always 
the way. If you had talked to Cain, he would have said, " I 
do not know why the fruit of the earth should not be more ac- 
ceptable to God than the blood of the lamb. I do not under- 
stand why any one should bring blood for an offering ; I am 
sure the ripened grain would be more acceptable to God than 
blood'; I have a dislike for the very name of blood." You will 
find the world is full of Cainites and Abelites to-day. Some 
want to go to God in their way, and some wish to go to Him in 
His own way. The man who goes in his own way gets no life ; 
it is all darkness until he goes in God's way. " Abel also brought 
of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof, and the Lord 
had respect unto Abel." He was a very religious man, but re- 
ligion is one thing and coming to God in His way is another. 
There are a great many who are very religious, and yet they do 
not like to go in God's way. There is no doctrine in the Old 
Bible written and spoken against so much as this very doctrine 
of the blood. From the time that Abel came with his bleeding 
lamb, man has disliked it. It shows how deceitful the heart is, 
that we do not like to go in God's way. These men had been 
brought up with the same surroundings. Up to this time we 
see no difference between the two men as to education, and yet 
there is a very great difference between their offerings. God 
accepted Abel's offering and did not accept Cain's, and conse- 
quently sin rose up in Cain's heart, and envy and hatred and 
malice, and he rose up and slew his brother. Sin leaped into 
the world full grown at one leap. The first-born was a mur- 
derer. When Abel first got to heaven and sang the song of 



482 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

redemption, there must have been but one soul in heaven when 
he came there alone, that could sing it. The angels could not 
join him, and they must have heard it with surprise ; but that 
chorus has been swelling ever since that time, swelling for the 
last six thousand years. The first man who went to heaven 
had brought a bleeding lamb and put the blood thereof between 
him and his sin. 

Will you look at the 8th chapter of Romans ? " And Noah 
builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, 
and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar." 
It was so important that he should have blood put between him 
and his sin that God had him to take clean animals for a sacri- 
fice. We find that the first two thousand years men were trav- 
eling by that highway. Way back there in Eden the scarlet 
line commences its course. You will find it running all through 
the Bible ; you take it out of the Bible and you take out all that 
book teaches. Those men who are trying to destroy that pre- 
cious doctrine are at sea without sail ; they do not know where 
they are. You cannot take up a place in Scripture but you 
find the scarlet thread running through it. If you turn over to 
the 2 2d chapter of Genesis, you will find the story of Isaac's 
sacrifice. Abraham went in God's way. In the 13th verse it 
is said, " And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and be- 
hold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns, 
and Abraham went and took the ram and offered" him up 
for a burnt offering instead of his son," There the doctrine 
of the blood is foreshadowed again. On that mountain we 
catch a glimpse of the blood ; on Mount Moriah, which was 
close to Mount Calvary, where Christ was crucified — look at 
that scene ! 

For twenty-five long years Abraham had been looking for 
that boy, and at the age of one hundred God gave him Isaac. 
How he must have doted upon his boy ! One night God said 
to him, a few years after, " Abraham, take your son and go up 
to the mountain that I will show you, and offer him there as a 
sacrifice." He did not offer objections and ask why God had 
ordered it. God had told him to have faith in Him, and with- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 483 

out consulting any one, not even his wife, he saddled an ass and 
took his son and told his wife that he was going up to a moun- 
tain. He took the wood for a fire, and a knife and his son, and 
away he went. I can imagine that father's feelings. He said 
to himself, " I do not understand it, but I know that God never 
makes any mistake. He never has told me to do anything but 
that it has brought honor and glory to His own name." I can 
imagine how the old man looked at the boy as he lay sleeping. 
He said, " In a little while my boy will be gone." I can see 
the tears on the old man's face as he gazed at him on that first 
night. On the second night I can see there was a struggle go- 
ing on within him as he thought, " I will only have this lovely 
boy one night more." The third day comes, and in the morn- 
ing he lifts up his eyes, and over yonder is Mount Moriah, and 
he says to the two young men who are with him, " You stay here, 
and Isaac and myself will go yonder and worship." They had 
the wood, they had the knife, but the lamb they had not. On 
the way up that mountain the boy said to the father, " Father, 
where is the sacrifice ? We have no lamb." And the father- 
said, and it seemed prophetic, "The Lord will provide a lamb." 
And so he did in the fullness of time, the Son of His own bosom. 
"My son, the Lord will provide a lamb for a sacrifice," and on 
they went. The two worked together and built the altar, rolled 
up the stones and put wood on them. When everything was 
ready I can imagine how the old man told his child that the 
Lord had told him to take his boy and offer him up as a sacri- 
fice, and after that they embraced and wept together. The old 
man binds his boy and puts him on that altar ; he takes the 
knife and is ready to drive it to the heart of his child ; he is re- 
solved to make quick work of it, but even while bis hand is 
lifted there is a voice from Heaven, " Abraham, Abraham, 
spare thy son ! " God so loved him that he spared his son, but 
He so loved you and me that he gave His own son for us all. 
There was no voice heard at Calvary saying, " Spare my bon.'' 
No angel came and took Him from the Cross ; but He gave Him 
up for us. And when Abraham looked around him, lo ! there 
was a ram caught in a thicket, and he took the ram and slew 



484 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

him and offered him up for a burnt offering — and then was that 
scarlet thread trickling down Mount Moriah. 

That was typical of God's own Son. We are told that when 
Abraham was on Mount Moriah God promised him that through 
his seed all nations of the earth should be blessed. Abraham 
walked by way of the blood. There is no other way. You can 
not find any of God's chidren that have walked any other way. 
In Exodus, twelfth chapter and thirteenth verse, you find, " And 
the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye 
are : and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the 
plague shall not be upon you, when I smite the land of Egypt." 
It was not, " And when I see your good resolutions, your tears, 
your agonies, I will pass over you." The blood was.a token that 
he gave them. Some people say, " Oh, it was not the death 
of Christ ; it was his life ; it was his moral character that was 
significant ; and you should preach up His life, and preach up 
His moral character." Let us preach these indeed, but let us 
not forget to preach His death — that Jesus Christ died for sin- 
ners, but did not live for them. He lay down His life and be- 
came a substitute for sinners. The Bible does not say the living 
lamb shall be a token. If they had tied up a live lamb, Death 
would have gone over that ; but they were to take a lamb and 
kill it, and put its blood upon the door-posts, and when Death 
came down, wherever the blood was he did not go in. 

Some say, " I wish I were as good as that one who has been 
visiting the poor and doing deeds of charity during the last fifty 
years; wouldn't I feel safe for heaven?" But, oh, my dear 
friends, if you are sheltered by the blood of the Son of God you 
are as safe as any man or woman on the face of the earth. That 
is not character ; that is not deeds ; it is the blood. God says, 
" When I see the blood I will pass over you." Moses and 
Abraham and Joshua were no safer behind the blood than the 
little boy ; it was the blooH that kept Death out, it was not their 
good work. An old minister when dying said he had preached 
the Gospel for fifty years, but when he was dying he did not rely 
upon his preaching or his works, but he requested them to bring 
his Bible to him and put his hand upon the verse which said : 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 485 

" And the blood shall be to him a token ; " and he said : " I 
put my hope upon that verse." It was not his preaching, it was 
not his good deeds — away with them ; works are all right in 
their place, but they do not save us ; it was not what he* had 
done, but what the blood had done. So it is not the strongest 
nor those who have the best character that are the safest, but 
those who are behind the blood. 

Some one said the little fly in Noah's ark was as safe as the 
elephant. It was the ark that saved the elephant, just as it was 
the ark that saved the fly. The question is, Have you got the 
token ? It was the most absurd thing in the world to the 
Egyptians, this sprinkling of the blood. I can see the 
haughty Egyptian riding through the town and seeing the blood 
sprinkled on the door-posts, and stopping to inquire what it meant. 
Every one was killing a lamb and he heard their bleating. He 
said, "You must have gone clean mad; what is that for?" 
They answered, " God has told us that at midnight to-night there 
will be a cry in Egypt ; that Death is doing his work, and every 
house that has not got blood upon its door-posts Death will 
enter and take the first-born." I can see that Egyptian now. 
How scornfully he looks upon those men ! That is the way 
the world looks now upon it. They say, " What do you mean 
by the blood ? The idea of being saved by the blood ! The 
idea that the blood of another cleanses from sin ! " And the 
proud, haughty world scoffs at the thought. Listen. At night 
Death came down. He entered the palace, and the crown prince 
was laid low ; and so on through every house in Egypt, taking 
the first-born alike of the rich and the poor. And only faith and 
its sign in blood upon the door-posts kept him out. The blood 
of Jesus Christ when it comes will be worth more than all the 
world. Your wealth, culture, and refinement cannot help you 
when God comes to judge the world. The question is, Have 
you got the token ? The'world makes light and scoffs and ridi- 
cules the idea now as it did then. 

But the time is coming when the blood of Jesus Christ will be 
worth more to you than all the world. It is like Noah's ark. 
I can see those antediluvians scoffing at Noah. But one hour 



4O0 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

after the flood began to fall Noah's ark was worth more to them 
than all the world put together. My friends you had better be 
wise. Be sure you have got the token. If I go down to the 
depot and want to go to Chicago, I go to the ticket office. I buy 
my ticket, and when I get aboard the train the conductor don't 
know who I am, and he don't care who I am. It makes no dif- 
ference whether I am white or black, learned or unlearned. 
The question is, Have I got a ticket ? Have I got the token ? 
Pardon the illustration. The man that has got the token is 
safe. The man that has not got it is unsafe, I don't care what 
his life or his character may be, and not only unsafe, but un- 
saved. And there is no salvation outside the blood of Jesus 
Christ. There is no other name whereby ye may be saved. 
To be sure, this scene down in Goshen was typical. 

Another thought. A good many Christians wonder they are 
so weak and have not more strength and do not grow strong 
like other people. You will find out in the eleventh verse. 
" And thou shalt yet eat it ; with your loins girded, your shoes 
on your feet and your staff in your hand." They were not only 
to kill the lamb, and take the blood and put it on the doorpost, 
but they were to feed on the lamb. Now, the great trouble with 
Christians is they do not feed on the Lamb. Their idea is, if 
you get converted and join the church, that is enough, instead 
of feeding on the Lamb, and getting strong, and becoming 
giants in God's service. They have got the wilderness journey 
before them, and they should keep the staff in their hands and 
the shoes on their feet, and feed on the Lamb. Let us learn 
the lesson to feed on the Lamb, and if we feed on Christ we 
will have strength. If we neglect to feed, and do not feed on 
it, we will become weak and feeble, and won't have the power. 
There is another thought. "This month shall be unto you the 
beginning of months." All the four hundred years they had 
been in Egypt were rolled away. And, sinner, all these years 
that you are in the service of sin, you are just losing them ; it 
is all lost time. These four hundred years they had been in 
bondage in Egypt God rolled away, and said, " This shall be 
the beginning of months." And you know everything dates 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 487 

from the blood. What is 1874 ? You date back to the blood ; 
you can't help it. It is the beginning of months to you, and 
God made Israel date back to that night when the lamb was 
slain, that they might not forget the meaning of it. There is 
another thought in that chapter. The fourth verse is : " And 
if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his 
neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number 
of the souls ; every man according to his eating shall make 
your count for the lamb." It don't say "If the lamb be too 
little for the household." Christ is enough for any family, for 
any household. If you will only just take Him, He is enough 
for the whole world and all can have Him if they will. Take 
now, Exodus, twenty -ninth chapter and the sixteenth verse, 
" And thou shalt slay the ram and take his blood and sprinkle 
it round about upon the altar." Now, I have not got time to 
picture that scene, but I want to call your attention to this. 
The only way the High Priest came into the presence of God 
was to sprinkle blood round about the altar, and if he came 
without the blood he had no communion with God whatever. 
And from the time Adam fell until the present time, there has 
been no communion with God whatever, only through the blood. 
I don't care who the man is, if he ignores the blood, he has no 
communication with Heaven, he has no intercourse with Heaven. 
There is no other way. Away back in those days you find they 
came and sprinkled blood around the altar, and then they made 
their request to God. Don't think, dear friends, that God will 
have anything to do with you unless you come to Him in His 
way. If you attempt to come to God and ignore His Son, 
Heaven will be as brass to you. There will be no communica- 
tion between your soul and God, until you go by His way. Then 
in the thirtieth chapter and the tenth verse, " And Aaron shall 
make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the 
blood of the sin offering of atonements." Atonement means at 
one. It brings the sinner and God at one. The only way they 
can come together is through the blood of Jesus. 

Now, turn to Leviticus, eighth chapter and twenty-third 
verse. " And he slew it, and Moses took of the blood of it and 



488 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of 
his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot." I 
used to read such passages and used to say, " What in the world 
does that mean ? " Blood upon the ear, the hand, and the foot ? 
What for ? It seems very plain to me now. Blood upon the 
ear ! A man can't hear the voice of God unless he is sheltered 
behind the blood. It is only the blood-bought that hear the 
voice of God. Why, you know in the twelfth chapter of John, 
when God spake to His Son and said, " I have glorified my 
name and will glorify it again," the people said it thundered. 
They could not tell the difference between the voice of God and 
thunder. But God's own children can hear it, and they can 
understand it. You take a man sheltered behind the blood, 
and let him come into this meeting, and he will understand 
what I mean. But next to him a man may sit and say, "What 
in the world is that man talking about ? " It is a mystery to 
him. He don't understand it. Why ? Because his ear is not 
open. No uncircumcised ear can hear the voice of God. And 
it is important to hear right. 

Then blood upon the hand. A man may work for God, but 
it is only the blood-bought hand that can work for God. And 
now I tell you, dear friends, the greatest, the grandest mistake 
the church of God is making to-day is getting ungodly men to 
do something for the church. It is keeping hundreds of men 
out of the Kingdom of God. We take ungodly men and make 
them trustees of the church, and take their money and say, 
" Their money is just as good as anybody else's money," and 
these men have an idea that they are buying their way to 
Heaven, and they are even better in their own opinion than 
many true Christians. Then there are ungodly men singing in 
the choir and helping in the service of God. No man can do 
anything to please God until he is first sheltered behind the 
blood. I don't care who he is, I don't care what his life has 
been, God cannot accept it • he cannot work with God. Until 
sheltered behind the blood he cannot work or walk with God. 
A man will have no desire to walk with God until he is sheltered 
behind the blood, and brought into communion with God. God 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 489 

came down on sundry occasions and talked with Abraham and 
Jacob, but God never came down and walked with man until 
he put them behind the blood in Goshen. When the Israelites 
came to the Red Sea, they went through the Red Sea like giants. 
He walked with them in the wilderness. When they wanted 
bread He opened his hand and fed them : when they wanted 
water He brought it out of the rock. God walked with them. 
When Christ was down here they said to Him, " What shall we 
do ? " Did he tell them to build colleges, teach in the Sabbath- 
school class, preach to the drunkard and feed the hungry, and 
clothe the naked ? Ten thousand times, No ! This is it : 
The work of God is to believe on Him, and if a man won't 
believe in God's Son he cannot hope to get to Heaven in any 
other way. He that climbeth up the wall is a thief and a 
robber. No uncircumcised hand can work for God. 

No uncircumcised foot can walk with God. Some may say, 
" I cannot understand it ; it is a very strange thing why God 
should demand blood." I will tell you why. He says, "The 
soul thatsinneth shall surely die," That is the penalty. God's 
justice must be kept. He rides in a chariot with two wheels, of 
which justice is one and mercy another, and justice must be done 
as well as mercy. Why does God demand blood ? God de- 
mands life. You have sold yourselves for naught. Christ comes 
and takes the place of the sinner, and dies in his stead, and it 
is through His precious blessed work of atonement on Calvary 
that we are saved. If there is any other way, my friends, I can- 
not find it. The life of all flesh is in the blood, and God has 
stamped the flesh with death, and He says it shall never come 
into His presence. And here comes in the glorious truth of the 
resurrection : "lam the resurrection and the life." All lost life 
in the first Adam ; all got it in the second. Some people say : 
" It is a great mystery that sin came into the world." It is a 
greater mystery that God came down and bore the brunt of it 
Himself — that He took the saved into His own bosom and 
opened the way to the tree of life, l^et me ask you to take up 
your bibles and take up this great and glorious subject and study 
it awhile, and you will have a reason for the hope within you. 

21* 



49° MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

You will be able to tell how you are saved. It is not your good 
deeds, your tears, your prayers, but it is the finished work of 
Jesus Christ that saves you, because He died and gave Himself 
for us. I do not believe any one can get a true glimpse of Jesus 
Christ without loving Him. 

There is a story of a man that went to California, when the 
excitement broke out, and left his wife and child in New Eng- 
land. He said as soon as he was successful he would send for 
them. It was a long time before he was successful, but at last 
he sent the money, and his wife and child came on to New York, 
and got on one of those beautiful steamers, and started for San 
Francisco; and everything was going well. All at once, how- 
ever, a cry was heard, " Fire, fire ! " It ran through the vessel ; 
the pumps were set to work and they got all the water they 
could, but they could not put it out. The flames gained on 
them and the captain ordered out the boats. But there were 
not life-boats enough to take all the passengers, and among the 
rest left on the deck was the mother of the lovely boy. The last 
boat was pushing away. If she did not get into that boat she 
must perish. She begged of the men to take her and her boy, 
but they said, " We dare not take any more." Her tears and 
entreaties at last touched the heart of one of the men, and he 
said, " Let us take her." But the others would not, and at last 
they compromised by saying, " We will take one." What did 
the mother do ? Did she leap into that life-boat and leave her 
boy behind to perish? That is not a mother's love. She 
hugged him, she kissed him and she dropped him over into the 
life-boat, and said, " If you live to see your father tell him I died 
to save you." Supposing that young boy has grown up to be a 
man, and he speaks contemptuously of such a mother, would 
you not say " He is an ungrateful wretch ? " But, sinner, what 
are you doing with Jesus ? Did not He do more than that? 
Was not He numbered among the transgressors for us ? Was 
not He wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our ini- 
quities ? Did not He die for the ungodly ? 

There is a story of a regiment in the Austrian army that was 
guilty of mutiny, and as they did not want to inflict the penalty 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. . 49 1 

of death upon the whole regiment, they decided that one man 
in ten should be shot. The regiment was drawn out in line 
and the officer went along taking out the tenth man. There 
was a father and a son. The son knew he could be spared 
better than the father. He was so anxious that the father 
should not be shot that he watched the officer, and saw, as he 
came nearer, that it would fall on his father. So the son stood 
behind his father, and pushed him into the place of life and 
took the place of death himself. So with us. We were con- 
demned to die, and there was no hope and no way of escape, 
and Christ said, " Father, let me go and take that place," 
and He left the throne, and he came from heaven and died in 
our stead. And do you get up and go out of this hall and say, 
" I see no reason I should love Christ ? " A young man said 
to me the other night, " I can go along without Christ ; I don't 
need Him." Well, my friend, if you can get along without 
Him, He can get along without you. But He don't want you 
to perish ; He wants you to live. May you find refuge behind 
the blood of Christ, is my prayer. 

Conclusion of " The Blood." 
Mr. Moody continued the consideration of the subject of 
" The Blood." On Tuesday he began with the first mention of 
sacrifices in Genesis, and drew all his illustrations and texts 
from the Old Testament ; yesterday his sermon was on the 
blood of Christ. He preached the death rather than the life 
of Christ, makes the Atonement the sole foundation of the 
hope of heaven — not good works and moral character. In the 
Bible, from the creation of the world in six days, to the rolling 
away of the stone from the sepulchre, there is not an idea which 
he does not wholly believe and uphold and honor, without 
attempting to explain away anything, and he is convinced that 
each part is needed to sustain the whole. If one part is true, 
it is all true, and if one sentence is false, it might as well be 
torn in shreds. There arise in his mind no doubts or questions, 
and he deals with none, but taking the Bible as literally true 



492 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

throughout, he impresses his strong faith upon the listening 
audience and their hearts accept it. 

Those who were here yesterday, will remember that we had 
for our subject the Blood, as found in the Old Testament. To- 
day we -will consider it in the New Testament. There are 
those who say that it is all one story ; that instead of being two 
books, it is but one. There is one class of people who say they 
believe in the New but not in the Old Testament, and another 
class believes in the Old Testament but not in the New. 
But if you read it carefully, you cannot divide it. If you change 
any part of it, it is all gone. The very passages that some 
wish to throw out of the Old Testament, and yet believe the 
New Testament, these very passages confirm the others. Some 
say, " I do not believe there was such a thing as a deluge ; we 
do not believe there was any such thing as a flood." But Christ 
says : "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be." Some 
say, " We do not believe that Sodom and Gomorrah were de- 
stroyed in flames and buried, do you ? Yes, we believe what 
Christ believed. He says: "Remember Lot's wife." They 
say, " We do not believe the whale ever swallowed Jonah ; do 
you ? " Yes, we believe what Christ taught ; and when Christ 
says, " As Jonah was three days in the whale's belly." He put 
His divine soul into the Old Testament as in the New. It is 
one book, therefore. Whoever touches any part of the Bible 
touches it all. That is what the questioner is trying to do to 
break down the word of God, and our confidence in God's tes- 
timony and God's record of His son. Yesterday, I did not 
have time to go through the Old Testament, to say all I wanted 
to say about the blood, as there described. To-day we will 
pass over into the New Testament, and see what Scripture says 
about blood in the New Testament. 

The first thing I call your attention to is that we are redeemed 
by the blood. There is no other redemption. In the first 
Epistle of Peter, first chapter, eighteenth verse. " Forasmuch 
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, 
as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by 
tradition from your fathers, . . . but with the precious blood 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 493 

of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 
You are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Redemp- 
tion is more than salvation really. A man might rescue another 
from sudden death. He might see a man in a carriage, with 
the horses dashing through the street, and in a moment his life 
would be gone, dashed to pieces against the wall. He might 
stop that steed, and save the man's life. He would be the 
savior of that man. Christ is more than our Savior. He is 
our Redeemer. He has redeemed us with His blood. Redemp- 
tion is to buy back. When Christ came, he bought us 
back. He says you have sold yourselves for nought, but you 
shall be redeemed without money. Though salvation is free 
to us, and it is without money and without price, yet it cost 
God all that He had to do it. It was the blood of Christ, His 
only Son, that redeemed us. It cost Him His precious blood 
to buy us back. Do you think silver and gold could have 
redeemed this world ? Why, God couid have created millions 
of worlds of gold, if silver and gold could have done it, but we 
could be redeemed not by such corruptible things as silver and 
gold. The apostle looks upon these with scorn and contempt 
when it comes to the subject of redemption. You are redeemed 
by the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a lamb without 
spot or blemish. The joy of every Christian is that he has been 
bought back by the blood of Christ. Once when I was going 
to speak in a little town, on our way there, there was a young 
man riding in front of us, and I said to my companion, " Who 
is that young man? I do not remember to have seen him 
before." He said, " Look over there. Do you see that beau- 
tiful meadow and that large farm and the house over there ? 
That young man's father drank that all up while he lived, and 
his son there went away and went industriously to work and 
accumulated money, and came back, redeemed the old home- 
stead, and took his mother out of the poorhouse, and is now on 
his way to church there with his mother." That was the story 
of the old Adam. He did the same thing. He sold us out to the 
hands of justice ; and the son of God came to buy us back. A 
friend of mine was coming from Dublin some time ago, and met 



494 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

an Irish boy with an English sparrow in his hands. The bird 
was trembling for its life, and trying to get back its liberty ; 
but the boy was stronger than the sparrow, and would not let 
it escape. The man tried to get the boy to let the bird go. 
He said, " My boy, why don't you open your hands and let the 
bird fly away ? " The boy replied, " Faith, and I won't be 
doing that, when I have been after him for hours, and have 
just got him." Then he tried to get the boy to do it from 
principle, telling him that it was right to let the poor bird have 
its freedom again, but the boy would not do it, and finally the 
man bought him with a piece of money. When he put the 
money into the boy's hand, in so doing he redeemed the spar- 
row. At first the little thing did not realize that it had its lib- 
erty. It chirped a few times, and looked around, and then it 
tried its little wings again, and went up singing, as if it said, 
"Thank you, thank you; you have redeemed me." That is 
what Christ did. And He says, " I will contend with him that 
contendeth against thee." He gave us our ransom. He 
redeemed with His own blood this lost world. There is 
redemption for every soul that wants to be redeemed. 

Justification through Christ's Blood. 
We are not only redeemed by blood, but we are justified. 
This is more than pardon. If a man is washed in the blood, he 
is as just as if he had never sinned. The question was asked 
me, " How can a man be justified with God ? " A man is jus- 
tified by His precious blood. In the third chapter of Romans, 
twenty-third verse, it says : " For all have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace, 
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." So, if a man 
has been redeemed by the blood of Christ, he is justified. Or, in 
other. words, God says, " I have nothing in my heart against you." 
We talk about our sins being pardoned and forgiven. In reality 
no sinner is forgiven. Sin has to be atoned for, and the Son of 
God has made atonement. He has justified us with his own blood. 
In the fifth chapter of Romans, ninth verse, it says : " Much more 
then being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 495 

wrath through him." Then another thing the blood does — it 
makes us all equal ; one kindred with one tongue, one language. 
A man that has been sheltered by the blood of Christ, he talks 
the same language with every other that has been so sheltered. 
You can tell a man that talks the language of Zion. He may 
not be able to talk the same language, but his language has the 
same spirit. Paul says in the seventeenth chapter of Acts, 
twenty-sixth verse : " And hath made of one blood all nations of 
men for to dwell on the face of the earth." Hath made of all 
nations one blood ! The blood of Jesus Christ brings us 
together, makes us one, brings us all to one level. 

Just before the war came on, during the days of slavery, I 
was in Boston. They were very exciting times there then, and 
Dr. Kirk was preaching on the subject of the Cross. It was 
during the great strife, when there was a great deal of hatred 
and suspicion against foreigners then in our country. It was 
in the time of the Know- Nothing party, and there was a great 
deal of feeling against the blacks and a great deal of feeling 
against the Irish. Dr. Kirk said when he came up to the Cross 
to get salvation, he found a poor black man on the right and an 
Irishman on his left, and the blood came trickling down from 
the wounded side of the Son of God and made them all brothers, 
and all alike, and equal. That is what the blood does. It 
makes us all one kindred, and brings us all into the family of 
God. We are all saved by the same blood. The blood has 
two cries. It either cries for our condemnation, or for our sal- 
vation. If we reject the blood, it cries out for our condemna- 
tion. If we are sheltered behind the blood, and if we fly to 
that blood for refuge, it cries out for our protection, and for our 
salvation. We will turn a moment to the First Colossians, 
first chapter and twentieth verse : " And having made peace 
through the blood of His Cross ; " and then with that let us 
read a verse that one will find in John, nineteenth chapter and 
the thirty-fourth verse : " But one of the soldiers with a spear 
pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 
And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true, and he 
knoweth that he saith true." He saw the blood that came out 



496 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

of that side, and thought now there is the blood that speaketh 
peace. But you know when Pilate washed his hands and said, 
" I am innocent of the blood of this just man," the mob cried 
out, "Let His blood be upon us, and upon our children." 
Not to save us, not to redeem us, not to wash us, not to justify 
us, not to cleanse us, but " Let His blood be upon us and upon 
our children " — " we are responsible for the act." They took 
it upon themselves, but what a prayer it was ! Would to God 
that the prayer had been, " His blood be upon us and our chil- 
dren to cleanse us, and save us, and speak peace to our guilty 
conscience." How it would have been blessed ! But their cry 
was, let His blood be upon us, said in all scorn and derision. 
That is the cry to-day of hundreds of thousands — " We are not 
going to be saved by the blood, we don't believe in any such 
thing, we will be responsible for rejecting Him and casting 
Him away." Oh, my friends ! If we ignore the blood, we are 
lost ; there is no other way of being cleansed from our sins. 
It says in the first chapter of Revelations and fifth verse, 
" Unto Him, that loved us and washed us from our sins in His 
own blood." Now, if he so washed us, we are clean ; if the 
Son by His coming washed us, and if the blood did not cleanse 
us, how are we to be cleansed ? How are we ever to come into 
the presence of the pure and holy God, and see Him in high 
heaven where he sits upon His throne ? No man until he is 
washed by the blood can see God — he will have no desire to 
see Him ? 

Some people tell us that the Bible does not contain anything 
on the subject of the blood. I received a letter from a lady 
some time ago stating that it was the Apostles that taught it, 
that Christ did not say one solitary word about it ; so she threw 
out the epistles and the teaching of Paul, and said she took the 
teachings of Jesus Christ, because there was no blood in them. 
In Matthew, twenty-sixth chapter and twenty-eighth verse, it 
says, for this is " My blood of the New Testament which is 
shed for many for the remission of sins," and then you will find 
in the ninth chapter of Hebrews twenty-second verse, that 
"Without the shedding of blood there is no remission." I 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 497 

would like to ask the. people who believe in the Bible and yet 
try to ignore the doctrine of blood, What are you going to do 
with that portion of Scripture where it says that " Without the 
shedding of blood there is no remission ? " From the time that 
Adam fell in Eden to the present time there has never been a 
soul saved but by the shedding of blood, there has never been 
a soul prepared for the coming to God except by the shedding 
of blood. The Holy Ghost comes and dwells with that soul 
that is washed in the blood of redemption, and it becomes a 
temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in, but never until it has 
been cleansed by the shedding of the blood. 

"There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Im- 
manuel's veins." Why do we sing that song? Why do we 
like to sing that hymn ? It is because it has got the blood in 
it. The hymns that have the scarlet line running through them 
will never be lost. That hymn never will be lost ; as long as 
there is a church on earth it will be sung. There is not a 
nation in the world, where there is a Christian, but that they 
have that hymn translated into their own language. I question 
if there is an hour in the whole twenty-four but in some parts 
of the earth they are singing that hymn — " There is a fountain 
filled with blood, drawn from ImmanuePs veins." Why do you 
likd that hymn, "Just as I am, without one plea, save that Thy 
blood was shed for me? " Why is it that that hymn is so popu- 
lar ? Why does the Church of God like it and sing it ? Why 
do we sing it so often ? Because it has got the precious blood 
in it. Then there is the familiar hymn " Rock of ages cleft for 
me, let me hide myself in Thee," etc. Why do we all like that 
so much ? Because it speaks of that fountain which has been 
opened in the house of David for sin and uncleanness, whereby 
your sins may be washed away in the blood of the Lamb. 
Everything that blood touches it redeems. When the blood 
came out of the Son of God and touched the Roman spear it 
touched the Roman covenant, and when the blood came out 
and touched this earth it redeemed it. Though the usurper has 
got it now, Jesus Christ will have it by and by. Everything 
that blood touches it purifies and redeems. 



498 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



A New and Living Way to God. 

And so, my friends, what you want is to have the blood ap- 
plied to your sins. You want to be cleansed by it, and as long 
as there is blood upon the mercy-seat there is hope for the 
vilest sinner that walks the face of the earth. God, seeing us 
look at the blood upon the mercy-seat, says, " Press in ! press* 
in, sinners ? Press into the Kingdom of God." The vilest can 
come if he will. That is what the blood of Christ was shed for, 
to cover sin and to bless us and wash us and prepare us for God's 
Kingdom. You may turn a moment to Hebrews, tenth chapter. 
I wish I had time to go through Hebrews with this wonderful 
subject, for there is more said in Hebrews about the blood than 
in any other book in the Bible. Now it says at the nineteenth 
verse : " Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the 
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which 
He hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is to say his 
flesh." Before he had to go to the high priest, but now God 
has opened a new and living way and made all His children kings 
and priests, and we don't now need any one to intercede for us. 
When Christ said " It is finished," the vail of the temple was 
rent. It does not say it was rent from the bottom up. No, it 
was rent downwards. It was God that seized that vail and tore 
it open, and God came out and man can go in there now 7 . 
Through His flesh the vail was rent, and now all of us, through 
the precious blood of Christ, are made kings and priests, and 
can go boldly into the holiest. Now a living way has been 
opened. That is what Christ has done. " By a new and living 
way which He hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is 
to say, His flesh ; and having a high priest over the house of 
God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith 
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our 
bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession 
of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised." 
Now turn to the 28th verse of the same chapter : " He that de- 
spised Moses's law died without mercy under two or three wit- 
nesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 4^9 

be though worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God 
and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was 
sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit 
of grace ? " 

Now, I would like to ask friends here to-day that ignore the 
whole subject of the blood, where is your hope ? What is it 
based on ? What are you building your hopes of heaven on ? 
Is it your good deeds ? He says those men that despised 
Moses's law died without mercy. How much more worthy of 
punishment shall he be thought who hath trodden under foot 
the blood of the Son of God, the blood of the covenant ? I 
heard of a man some time ago that was going to get to heaven 
in his own way. He did not believe in the Bible or the love of 
God, but was going to get in on account of his good deeds. He 
was very liberal, gave a great deal of money, and he thought 
the more he gave the better it would be in the other world. I 
don't as a general thing believe in dreams, but sometimes they 
teach good lessons. Well, this man dreamed one night that he 
was building a ladder to heaven, and he dreamed that every 
good deed he did put him one round higher on this ladder, and 
when he did an extra good deed it put him up a good many 
rounds : and in his dream he kept going, going up, until at last 
he got out of sight, and he went on and on doing his good deeds, 
and the ladder went up higher and higher, until at last he thought 
he saw it run up to the very throne of God. Then in his 
dream he died and a mighty Voice came rolling down from 
above, " He that climbeth up some other way, the same is a 
thief and a robber," and down came his ladder and he woke 
from his sleep and thought, " If I go to heaven I must go some 
other way." My friends, it is by the way of the blood that we 
are to get to heaven. If a man has got to pay his way there, 
only a few can get there. What are you going to do with these 
poor sick people who cannot work at all and make money to be- 
stow on others ? Are they to be tost and damned ? No, thank 
God ! He has made the way so easy and open that the weak 
and the young and the smallest and poorest can be saved if they 
will. He has made a new and living way right up to the 



500 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Throne. The despised and persecuted can go up as well as 
anybody else. Let me read that again : " He that despised 
Moses's law died without mercy under two or three witnesses." 
That is established. You can go out of the Bible and find that 
in history. 

Now, my friends, let me ask you where is your hope ? How 
are you going to be saved ? If the Bible is true, and I suppose 
there is hardly one here but believes it, what are you going to 
do with that passage that says in Hebrews, " Without the shed- 
ding of blood there is no remission ? " If you have this blessed 
Gospel of Jesus Christ offered to you, sent to you, and you send 
back the insulting message that you don't want it, where is your 
hope ? What is your hope ? How are you going to be saved ? 
How are you going to escape the condemnation of the law? 
Now, I have traveled considerably during the last two or three 
years and have met many ministers, and I have learned that 
the man that makes much of the blood in his preaching, much 
of the Atonement, and holds up Christ as the only Substitute, 
God honors his preaching; and the man that covers up this 
glorious truth, there is no power in his preaching. He may 
draw great crowds, and they may hover around him for a few 
years, but when he at last goes, the church itself goes down 
because it had no power in itself, their prayer-meetings had no 
power. The minister would get up a good choir and a great 
crowd to hear the music and fine singing, but when it comes to 
a real spirit of power they have not got it ; and any religion that 
takes the blood and covers it up, hasn't any power. 

I was in a city of Europe and a young minister came to me 
and said, " Moody, what makes the difference between your 
success in preaching and mine ? Either you are right and I am 
wrong, or I am fight and you are wrong." Said I, " I don't 
know what the difference is, for you have heard me and I have 
never heard you preach. What is the difference ? " Said he, 
" You make a good deal out of the death of Christ, and I don't 
make anything out of it. I preach the life." Said I, " What 
do you do with this : ' He hath borne our sins in His own body 
on the tree'?" Said he, "I never preached that." Said I, 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 501 

" What do you do with this : ' He was wounded for our trans- 
gressions ; He was bruised for our iniquities, and with His 
stripes we are healed ' ? " Said he " I never preached that." 
"Well," said I again, "what do you do with this — 'without the 
shedding of blood there is no remission'? " Said he, " I never 
preached that." I asked him, " What do you preach ? " "Well," 
he says, " I preach a moral essay." Said I, " My friend, if you 
take the blood out of the Bible, it is all a myth to me." Said 
he, " I think the whole thing is a sham." " Then," said I, " I 
advise you to get out of the ministry very quick. I would not 
preach a sham. If the Bible is untrue, let us stop preaching, 
and come out at once like men, and fight against it if it is a 
sham and untrue : but if these things are true, and Jesus Christ 
left heaven and came into this world to shed His blood and 
save sinners, then let us lay hold of it and preach it, in season 
and out of season." In the college at Princeton this last year, 
when the students were ready to go forth into the world, the 
old man, their instructor, would stand up there and say, " Young 
men, make much of the blood. Young men, make much of the 
blood ! " and I have learned this, that a minister who makes 
much of the substitution and holds Christ up as the sinner's 
only hope, God blesses his preaching. And if the Apostles 
didn't preach that, what did they preach ? You take the great 
doctrine of substitution out of the preaching of Paul, Peter, 
John, James, and Philip, and all of those holy men, and you 
take out all that they preached. And so, my friends, there 
don't seem to be one ray of hope for the man that ignores the 
blessed, blessed subject of the blood. " Without the shedding 
of blood there is no remission." 

It is said of Julian, the great apostate, that when he was trying 
to stamp out Christianity in the days of Rome's prosperity, be- 
fore it received Christianity, when he was trying to drive those 
. Christians away, he received a mortal wound, and as he pulled 
the spear out of his side, he took a handful of the blood that 
gushed forth from the wound, and threw it toward heaven as he 
reeled and staggered, crying out, " There, Galilean ! Thou 
hast conauered ! " We are all conquered, overcome by the 



502 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

blood of the Lamb. The only way to Heaven is by the Word 
of His testimony and His blood. Revelation is full of the sub- 
ject. It would take days to go through Revelation and see all 
it contains about blood. The only thing that Christ left down 
here in the world of His person, was His blood. His flesh, 
His bones, He took away with Him, and when He hung there 
on Calvary, and the blood came out of His hands, and out of 
His feet and from his bruised side, and trickled down on the 
earth, it was never gathered up. It was left there, and God 
holds the world responsible for it. What are you going to do 
with it ? Are you going to trample it under foot and send a 
message to Heaven that you don't care for it, that you despise, 
hate it ? Or, are you going to find a refuge and shelter behind 
it ? It is Christ's, shed for the salvation of every soul here 
within these walls. It is said every man that goes up, goes up 
by the way of the blood. You cannot think about Abel, but 
you think of the bleeding Lamb. So, my friends, the question 
to-day is what are you going to do with this subject. I have 
heard of an English lady who was greatly troubled about her 
soul for several months, and the way her conversion was brought 
about was this : She told her servant one day to go out and 
kill a lamb, and told him what to do with all of the different 
parts except the blood, and presently after he had killed the 
lamb he came in and asked her, " What shall I do with the 
blood of the Lamb ? " And God used it as the arrow that 
should go down into her soul ; and she began to walk her room 
and ask herself, " What shall I do with the blood of the Son of 
God?" What are you going to do with that precious blood L 
that flows out of Calvary ? Are you going to let it cleanse you 
from sin ? What say you ? Will you take it and by and by 
stand with your garments made white by the blood of the Lamb 
and sing the song of redemption ? 

During the war a New York minister, I think it was, came 
down among the soldiers in the hospital, and preached to them 
the way of Christ, and helped them in their dying hours. He 
found one man whose eyes were closed and who was muttering 
something about " blood, blood ; " and the old doctor thought 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 503 

he was thinking of the carnage of the battle-field and the blood 
he had seen there, and going up to him, he tried to divert his 
mind ; but the young man looked up and said, " Oh, Doctor, it 
was not that I was thinking of, I was thinking how precious the 
blood of Christ is to me now that I am dying. It covers all 
my sins." Oh, my friends, the dying hour will come. We are 
hastening on to death. If Christ is not your all in all, what is 
to become of you? I was on the Pacific coast some time ago, 
and there they were telling me about a stage-driver who had 
died a little while ago, and you that have been there know that 
those men who drive coaches make a great deal of the brake, 
for they have to keep their feet upon it all the time going 
down the mountains ; and as this poor fellow was breathing his 
last in his bed he cried out, " I am on the down grade, and 
can't reach the brake 1 " Those were his last words. Tn ere 
was not a stage-driver there, when I was there, but was talking 
about it. Just about that time a very eminent man in our coun- 
try was dying in New York or New Jersey — a holy man of God, 
who had lifted the banner of Christ and won many to Christ, 
and he was passing away in the prime of life. There stood his 
wife and friends around the bedside, and there was seemingly a 
heavenly halo around that couch, and just expiring, he said : " I 
am sweeping through the gates washed in the blood of the 
Lamb." Those were his last words. They live to-day in the 
nation. I believe they will never be forgotten. Your time will 
come, and then it will be grand to die with those words upon 
your lips — " I am sweeping through the gates washed in the 
blood of the Lamb." 

Temperance Meeting. 

The many requests for prayers were all in behalf of those 
whose besetting sin is the love of strong drink. Mr. Moody's 
remarks were very short. He said, among other things : 
I There is just one hope for a drunkard, and that hope is Christ 
in his heart. A man may have strong will, but we find that the 
tempter is stronger than the will and it gives way. The only 
means by which to overcome sin is to accept Christ ; education 



504 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 






won't do it, culture won't do it, and a man by his own strength 
cannot do it. I found a drunkard last night who wanted to get 
to God without Christ — can't do it. Let us have faith that God 
will enter into such hearts to-day." 

After a prayer by Mr. Wells and the hymn " Pass me not, O 
gentle Saviour," Mr. Moody introduced Dr. Reynolds of Massa- 
chusetts, who has been active in recent temperance movements 
in that State. He gave as his own experience : " I am one of 
the unfortunate men who inherited the love of strong drink; it 
is as much a part of my inheritance as my hand is part of my 
body. I drank for twenty years, and the last six I was a 
hardened drunkard. When for the second time I was on the 
verge of delirium tremens, driven by a propensity I could not 
control, I in despair, knelt down and asked God to help me, 
and from that time to this I have been a temperate man and 
one of the happiest that ever lived. If you want to read a his- 
tory of my life and of all drinking men's lives, you will find it in 
the 60th Psalm. No man can handle alcohol and not be beaten 
in the end. Drinking men are the best-hearted men in the 
world, and if you can get them to quit it, they make the best 
Christians. Oh, if this evil has got hold of you, go down on 
your knees and ask God to help you." 

He was followed by Mr. Warner, the President of the Young 
Men's Christian Association of Philadelphia, who spoke upon 
the work going on in that city. He said, " That man Moody 
gave us more work than we can do ; " the meetings continued 
to be full and the interest was not dying out. 

The meeting was formally adjourned, but all who wished to 
hear a few words from two working men, reformed drunkards, 
from the Phelps Mission, were invited to remain, and the whole 
audience kept their seats. Perhaps no words had more effect 
than those spoken by these two men, who had been through the 
whole range of wretchedness and abasement which drunkenness 
could create and still retained a spark of manliness on which to 
build hope for the future. 

There was an unusually large attendance at the noon 
prayer-meeting. There is no better indication of the great 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 505 

interest taken in this revival than the fact that such numbers 
continue to go at this inconvenient hour. One wonders that 
there are so many who think it possible to leave their worldly 
interests for an hour at midday, or so many women who do not 
feel that their small duties at home are too imperative. Many 
of them come in on the early trains from the country, carrying 
their satchels, and they are the ones, perhaps, who evince by 
their faces and eager manner the most vital interest in these 
meetings. 

Mr. Moody, who speaks as readily and impressively at the 
prayer-meetings as he does to the crowds who assemble in the 
afternoon and evening, made to-day an address on Thanks- 
giving. He said that after praising God, and praying to Him 
day and night for weeks, the time seemed already to have 
come to give thanks for the evidence they had had, that the 
prayers had reached the Throne of Grace. Many instances 
were given of what seemed direct answers from God to these 
prayers — enough in one half hour to overthrow all the arguments 
against its efficacy which modern thought has produced. Rev. 
Dr. Hatfield of Philadelphia said he had apprehended that God's 
work would not be as well done here as it had been in the city 
from which he came, but that in that one meeting he had dis- 
covered how unfounded that apprehension had been. 

The women's prayer-meeting, at the close of the noon ser- 
vices, was one of the largest held since this work began, nearly 
all of those in the large hall adjourning to the smaller room. 
The ladies, who generally conduct these meeting alone, were 
assisted by the Rev. Dr. Hatfield, who delivered a short address. 

The young men's meeting developed a deep interest, and was 
attended by several thousand people. Thurlow Weed was 
present, as he had been in the afternoon, and sat among the re- 
porters. When the sermon was finished he still kept his seat, 
•and remained to attend the prayer-meeting that followed. 

Mr. Moody spoke on the promises contained in the Bible. 
He said in part : 

There was a man in London who had all the promises of God 
printed together in a little book, and sometime after some one 



506 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 






in the country sent up for a copy. He received the answer 
that all the promises of Gocl were out of print — perhaps that 
man had never heard of this : (holding up a Bible). At one 
time in Chicago, when the meetings grew a little dull, I told 
them we would go through the Bible and look for all the prom- 
ises given us ; and from that time there were no more dull 
meetings. We had never realized before what promises God 
has made to those who believe in Jesus Christ. In the West I 
met a man in the cars who was marking a lot of notes he had 
in his hand with the letters B., G., P., and so on, and I asked 
him what it was for. He said some of them were*bad, the par- 
ties were bankrupt, and he never expected to collect them. 
Some were good, though the men were slow to pay, and some 
were only possibly good, and he marked them to calculate his 
chances. Now some people are just like this man with God's 
promises ; some they expect will be kept, and some they do 
not ; some are barely possible. I advise you to make all God's 
promises good. God always keeps every promise he makes, 
and I defy any infidel to show any promise He has not kept. 

Sermons on Heaven. 

With all the work that Mr. Moody daily has to do, it seems as 
if he could never say all that he has to say, or pour out all the 
Christian feeling his heart contains. He is a most inexhausti- 
ble speaker, and those who hear him day after day care the most 
to go again and again. The Rev. G. D. Mathews and the Rev. 
Dr. Rodgers assisted him yesterday afternoon. 

He preached on the subject of Heaven, a subject which he 
continued the next day. It was a clear and vivid description — 
such a picture as could be drawn only by a man who, like Mr. 
Moody, believes thoroughly what he finds in the New Testa- 
ment. He began by saying that in these days there were many 
people who think there is no heaven except on earth, and no 
God except Nature. But the heaven on which he would have 
all his hopes fixed was the one above the skies, the one in which 
were God the Father, and Christ the Son, the angels and the 
friends who have gone before ; and with his Bible in his hand, 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 507 

he read the texts on which this vision and this hope were founded. 
He spoke of the children — the way to teach them the simple 
story and to lead them to God ; and all his hearers were appa- 
rently more deeply touched than they have ever seemed to be 
before. Mr. Sankey and Mr. Thatcher sang softly together, 
"Waiting and Watching," before the meeting closed. 

The sermon was as follows : 

We have for our subject this afternoon, Heaven. It is not as 
some talk about heaven — as just the air. I find a good many 
people now who think there is no heaven only just here in this 
world ; that this is all the heaven we will ever see. I talked 
with a man the other day who said he thought there is nothing 
to justify us in believing there is any other heaven than that 
which we are in now. Well, if this is heaven it is a very strange 
kind of heaven — this world of sickness and sorrow and sin. If 
he thinks this is really all the heaven we are going to see, he 
has a queer idea of it. There are three heavens spoken of in 
the Bible, and the Hebrews acknowledge in their writings three 
heavens. The first is the aerial — the air, the wind, the air that 
the birds fly in — that is one heaven ; then there is the heaven 
of the firmament, where the stars are ; and then there is the 
heaven of heavens, where God's throne is and the mansions of 
the Lord are, the mansions of light and peace, the home of the 
blessed, the home of the Redeemer, where the angels dwell. 
That is the heaven that we believe in and the heaven that we want 
to talk about to-day. We believe it is just as much a place and 
just as much a city as New York is, and a good deal more, be- 
cause New York will pass away, and that city will bide forever. 
It has foundations whose builder and maker is God. I do not 
think it is wrong for us to speculate and think about and talk 
about heaven. I was going to meeting once some time ago, 
when I was asked by a friend on the way, " What will be the 
subject of your speech ? " I said, " My subject will be Heaven." 
He scowled, and I asked, " Why do you look so ? " He said, 
" I was in hopes you would give us something practical to-night. 
We cannot know anything about Heaven. It is all speculation." 
Now, all Scripture is given to us by the inspiration of God. 



508 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

Some is given for warnings, some for encouragement. If God 
did not want us to think about Heaven and talk about it 
down here, there would not be so much said about Heaven in 
Scripture. There would not be so many promises about it. If 
we thought more about those mansions that God is preparing 
for us, we would be thinking more of things above and less of 
things of this earth. 

I like to locate heaven and find out all about it I can. I ex- 
pect to live there through eternity. If I was going to dwell in 
any place in this country, if I were going to make it my home, 
I would want to inquire all about the place, about its climate, 
about what kind of neighbors I was going to have, about the 
schools for my children — about everything, in fact, that I could 
learn concerning it. If any of you who are here were going to 
emigrate, going off to some other country, and I was going to 
take that for my subject to-day, why, would not all your ears be 
open to hear what you could learn about it ? Would you then 
be looking around to see who was sitting next you, and who 
among your acquaintances were here, and what people were 
thinking about you ? You would be all interested in hearing of 
this country that I was talking about. You could not think 
anything about the latest fashion or about some woman's 
bonnet. If it is true that we are going to spend eternity in 
another world, and that God is inviting us to spend it with 
Him, shall we not look and listen and find out where He is 
and who is there and how we are to get there ? Soon after 
I was converted an infidel got hold of me one day, and he 
asked me why I looked up when I prayed. He said that 
heaven was no more above us than below us, that heaven was 
everywhere. Well, I was greatly bewildered, and the next time 
I prayed it did seem as if I was praying into the air. His words 
had sowed the seed. Since that time I have not only become 
better acquainted with the Bible, but I have come to see that 
heaven is above us. It is upward. If you will turn to the 17th 
chapter of Genesis, you will see that it says that God went up 
from Abraham. In the 3d chapter of John, in the wonderful 
conversation that Christ had with Nicodemus, He told them that 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 



5°9 



he came down from heaven ; and as we read in the ist chapter 
of Acts, " They "saw Him go up "into heaven,'' — not down — " and 
the clouds received Him out of their sight." If you will turn to 
the 8th chapter of ist Kings, 30th verse, I will show you that 
God has a dwelling place. A great many people have gone 
upon their reason until they have reasoned away God. They 
say God is not a person that we can ever see. He is God of 
Nature. " And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy ser- 
vant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this 
place ; and hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwelling place ; and 
when Thou hearest, forgive." Some people are trying to find 
out and wondering how far heaven is away. There is one thing 
we know about that ; it is that it is not so far away but that 
God can hear us when we pray. There is not a sigh goes up 
to Him but that He hears it. He hears His children when they 
cry. God has a throne and a dwelling place in heaven. In the 
7th chapter of 2d Chronicles, 14th verse, it says, " If My people 
which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray 
and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I 
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their 
land." 



There are a good many promises given us to encourage us to 
pray and to teach us that God hears us when we do pray, that 
He is not so far away but that He hears us. When Christ was 
on earth, they came to Him and said, " Teach us how to pray 
to our heavenly Father. He taught them a prayer. It began 
" Our Father which art " — not on earth — no, but " Our Father 
which art in heaven." Now, when we go to heaven we will 
be with our Father Himself. If you will turn to the 7th chap- 
ter of Acts, 15th verse, it says, " But he, being full of the Holy 
Ghost, looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God 
and Jesus standing on the right hand of God " — which shows 
that heaven is not so far away but that God can allow us to look 
into it, if He will. l: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon 
God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my Spirit." Thus we have 



5IO MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

it. clearly established from Scripture teachings, that not only is 
heaven the dwelling place of God the Father but of Jesus Christ 
the Son. A great many think that there is but one person. 
There is but one God but there are three persons. God the 
Father, God, the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. When I get to 
heaven I expect to see them all there. There is Christ standing on 
the right hand of God. Stephen saw Him. We have got Christ 
there : heaven would not be all that we love unless Christ was 
there. I would be unhappy when I got to heaven if I could 
not find Him there who redeemed me, who died for me, who 
bought me with His own blood. Some one asked a Christian 
man once what he expected to do when he got to heaven. He 
said he expected to spend the first thousand years in looking at 
Jesus Christ, and after that he would look for Peter, and then 
for James, and for John, and ail the time he could conceive of 
would be joyfully filled with looking upon these great persons. 
But O, it seems to me that one look at Jesus Christ will more 
than reward us for all that we have ever done for Him down 
here ; for all the sacrifices we can possibly make for Him, just 
to see Him ; and not only that, but we shall become like Him 
when we once have seen Him, because we shall be like the 
Master Himself. Jesus the Saviour of the world will be there* 
We shall see Him face to face. 

It won't be the pearly gates : it won't be the jasper walls and 
the streets paved with transparent gold, that shall make it 
heaven for us. These would not satisfy us. If these were all, 
we would not want to stay there forever. I heard the other 
day of a child whose mother was very sick ; and while she lay 
very low, one of the neighbors took the child away, to stay 
with her until the mother should be well again. But instead 
of getting better, the mother died and they thought they 
would not take the child home until the funeral was all 
over, and would never tell her about her mother being 
dead. So a while afterward they brought the little girl 
home. First she went into the sitting-room to find her 
mother ; then she went into the parlor to find her mother there ; 
and she went from one end of the house to the other, and could 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 511 

not find her. At last she said, " Where is my mamma? " And 
when they told her her mother was gone, the little thing wanted 
to go back to the neighbor's house again. Home had lost its 
attractions to her since her mother was not there any longer. 
No, it is not the jasper walls and the pearly gates that are 
going to make heaven attractive. It is the being with God. 
We shall be in the presence of the Redeemer. We shall be 
forever with the Lord. 

We have now seen that God the Father and God the Son are 
dwelling in heaven. Will you turn to the eighteenth chapter of 
Matthew, tenth verse : " Take heed that ye despise not one of 
these little ones ; for I say unto you that in heaven their angels 
do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." 
So we shall have the company of angels when we go there. We 
find that when Gabriel came down and told Zachariah that he 
should have a son, Zachariah doubted his word, and Gabriel 
replied, " I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God." 
It says in Luke, second chapter and thirteenth verse, that after 
one angel had proclaimed that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 
there was a multitude of the heavenly host telling out the won- 
derful story. So, we have angels in heaven. We have God 
the Father and Christ the Son and angels dwelling there. The 
angels undoubtedly wander away from the throne of God to this 
worldly sphere, to watch over the soul's welfare of those they 
have left behind. It may be that some angels are hovering 
over the souls here to-night, to see if some one will decide in 
favor of the Lord's side. And we have not only the presence 
of the angels already established, but we have friends. Those 
who have died in the Lord are there. Do you believe that 
Stephen is not there, after his martyrdom ? Do you believe 
God did not answer that prayer of his, " Lord, receive my 
spirit ? " Undoubtedly, the moment that spirit left that body, 
it winged its way to the world of light. Do you think those 
who have died in Christ are not there with the Master to-day? 
What does Paul mean when he says, " Absent from the body, 
present with the spirit ? ; ' All the redeemed ones are in 
heaven. We talk about "the best of earth." They are not 



512 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

down here. They are up in heaven. The best that ever troc 
this earth are up there around the throne, singing their song 
of praise, the sweetest songs you ever heard. Turn to John, 
twelfth chapter and twenty-sixth verse : " If any man serve me, 
let him follow me : and where I am, there shall also my servant 
be j if any man serve me, him will my father honor." I want 
to call your attention to this : " Where I am there shall also my 
servants be." They shall be with Him. We have it clearly 
established. Will you turn to the seventh chapter of Revela- 
tions, ninth and tenth verses : " After this I beheld, and lo a 
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and 
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and 
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our 
God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. " 



There are redeemed saints around the throne. You may 
say, " Well, what good does that do me ? That will not help 
me. What I want to know is, have I an interest in that land ? " 
Well, I cannot speak for the rest of you, but I can say that it is 
the privilege of every one in this audience to know that their 
names may be written in heaven if they care to have them 
there. When the seventy went out to preach, in every town 
they went to, there was a great revival ; people are prejudiced 
against revivals these days, but they are as old as the world. 
When these men went out two by two and proclaimed the Gos- 
pel their cry was " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand ; " and the seventy returned elated with their wonderful 
success. They thought all they had to do was to speak, and the 
whole world would be moved ; but they were told, " Rejoice not 
at your success in these cities ; rejoice that your names are 
written in heaven/' It is a grand thing for a man or woman to 
know that his or her name is written in heaven. Young lady, 
do you know to-day that your name is there ? Young man, do 
you know that your name is written in heaven ? Do you think 
that Christ would have told these men to rejoice, if He had not 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 513 

known that their names were written there ? Some persons 
say that you cannot be sure ; but that is one of the greatest 
delusions of the devil. If we cannot be certain of being saved 
then we cannot preach salvation. There is not one passage of 
Scripture that gives us reason to doubt our own salvation. 
" I know that my Redeemer liveth ; " in Him I believe. I 
know that I have passed in this world from death to life ; I 
know, I know, I know — that is the way the Scripture speaks in 
regard to our salvation, and so if you do not know to-day that 
your name is written in heaven ; if no spirit bears witness with 
your spirit, that your name is written in heaven, oh, do not 
sleep to-night until you do know it ! It- is the privilege of 
every man and woman in this house to know it if he will. 

Would you just turn to a few passages in the Scriptures? 
Turn back to the prophecy of Daniel a moment, the twelfth 
chapter and first verse : " And at that time shall Michael stand 
up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy 
people ; and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was 
since there was a nation, even to that same time j and at that 
time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be 
found within the book." Every one that shall be found written 
— not in the church book ; a good many have got their names 
written on some church record, that have not got them written 
in the book of life — but every one whose name is found written 
in the Book of Life, shall be delivered. Then would you turn 
a moment to Paul's epistle to the Philippians, fourth chapter, 
third verse : " And I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help 
those women which labored with me in the Gospel, with Cle- 
ment also, and with other my fellow-laborers whose names are 
in the Book of Life." Why, it is not only they themselves who 
know it, but Paul seemed to know their names were there. He 
sent them greeting "whose names are in the Book of Life." 
My dear friend, is your name there ? It seems to me it is a 
very sweet thought to think we can have our names there and 
know it ; that we can send our name on ahead of us, and know 
it is written in the Book of Life. 

I had a friend coming back from Europe some time ago, and 
22* 



she came down with some other Americans from London to 
Liverpool. On the train down they were talking about the 
hotel they would stop at. They had got to stay there a day or 
two before the boat sailed, and so they all concluded to go to 
the North Western Hotel, but when they reached Liverpool 
they found that the hotel was completely filled and had been 
full for days. Every room was taken, and the party started to 
go out, but this lady did not go with them, and they asked her, 
" Why, are you not coming ? " " No," said she, " I am going 
to stay here." "But how? The hotel is full." "Oh," said 
said she, u I have got a room." " How did you get it ? " "I 
telegraphed on a few days ago for one." Yes, she had alone 
taken pains to telegraph her name on ahead and had thus 
secured her room. That is just what God wants you to do. 
Send your name on ahead. Have your mansion ready for you 
when you come to die. Don't go on neglecting this great ques- 
tion. Don't neglect your soul's salvation. Don't neglect your 
home beyond the grave. You can have your name written in 
the Book of Life to-day, and have the crown and robe all ready 
for you when your spirit leaves your body. You can secure an 
interest in the Kingdom of God this very day, if you will only 
seek it. But there is another passage I want to call your atten- 
tion to in regard to this very point of having your names put in 
the Book of Life. Now turn to Revelations, thirteenth chapter, 
eighth verse : " And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship 
him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Ah ! there is a 
good deal in Scripture about our names being written in the 
Book of Life. Turn again to Revelations, twentieth chapter, 
twelfth verse : " And I saw the dead, small and great, stand 
before God ; and the books were opened ; and another book 
was opened which is the Book of Life ; and the dead were 
judged out of those things which were written in the books, 
according to their works." Then in the last chapter but one 
and the last verse : " And there shall in no wise enter into it 
anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, 
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 515 

of Life." Not a soul shall enter in through the pearly gates of 
that city whose names are not written in the Book of Life. It 
is a very important thing that we have our names written there, 
and then I think the next important thing after our names are 
written in the Book of Life, is to have our children's there. 
We ought to be careful and see that the names of the children 
whom God has given us are written there. 



I want to speak here a few minutes about our children, for 
the promises, are not only to us but to our children. I pity 
those fathers and mothers who don't believe in the conversion 
of their little children. I pity the fathers and mothers who are 
not laboring to bring their children to Christ and have their 
names written in the Book of Life. I heard of a mother dying 
a few years ago of consumption, and when the hour came for 
her departure, she asked that the children be brought in, and 
the oldest child was brought to her bedside. The mother put 
her dying hand on his head, smoothed his hair, and gave him 
her dying blessing ; and the next child was brought in, and the 
next, and the next, and to each she gave a message of love and 
hope ; and at last the little infant was brought in, and she hugged 
it to her bosom and kissed it and hugged it again and again 
until, as they went to take the little child from her mother, as 
they saw it was exciting her and hastening her death, she looked 
up into her husband's face and said, " I charge you to bring all 
these children home with you." 

And so God charges us parents to bring our children home 
with us. He don't want one left out, but wants every one writ- 
ten in the Book of Life. And they can be written there to-day 
if we only seek, and if that is the uppermost in the minds of 
God's people to have them there, they will be brought in. 
What a blessed revival we will have if the fathers and mothers 
will only wake up and see that they are brought in ! If we 
want to shine forever in the kingdom of God then we must 
bring them in. But the trouble is, we want to shine down here 
in this fleeting world. How ambitious the fathers and the 



516 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

mothers are that their children shall just shine here for a little 
while, and'the best and final interest of their soul is overlooked 
and forgotten. I heard of a man that was dying some time ago, 
a man of great wealth, and when the doctor told him he could 
not live, the lawyer was sent for to come and make out his will, 
and the dying man's little girl, only about four years old, did 
not understand what death meant, and when the mother told 
her that her papa was going away, the little child went to the 
bedside and looked into her father's eyes and asked, " Papa, 
have you got a home in that land that you are going to ? " And 
the question sunk down deep into his soul. He had spent all of 
his time and all of his energy in the accumulation of great wealth. 
He had a grand home and had now got to leave it; and how 
that question came home to him. 

Dear friends, let me ask you the question to-day, Have you 
got a home beyond the grave ? Can you say your name is writ- 
ten in the Lamb's Book of Life ? Can you rejoice as only 
Christ's disciples rejoice, because your name is there ? If you 
cannot, then don't let the sun go down until the great question 
of eternity is settled. Let the news flash over the wires of 
heaven up to the throne of God, that you want your name there : 
" Oh, let my name be written in the Book of Life ! " And then, 
when your name is called and there is a voice heard, " Come up 
hither I " you will go with joy and gladness to meet your Lord 
and Saviour. You remember how it was with that dying sol- 
dier — you have undoubtedly seen it, it has been in print so 
often — who, lying on his cot, was heard to say, " Here ! here ! 
here ! " and they went to him and asked him what he wanted. 
" Oh," said he, " they are calling the roll of heaven, and I am 
answering to my name," and in a few minutes he faintly whis- 
pered it again, and was gone. That great roll is being called, 
and it will be a very important thing, more important than any- 
thing else when the hour comes, that our names be written in 
the Book of Life, for God says except -it is written in the Book 
of Life we shall not enter that city. The gates will be closed 
against us ; no one will enter the kingdom of God except those 
whose names are written in the Book of Life. So, my friends, 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 517 

let us be wise. Let us see that our names are there, and then 
let us go to work and see if we cannot bring our children to 
Christ. I know a mother in this audience to-day who has got 
a family of children, and a few days ago she got stirred up and 
thought she would go to her children and talk to them person- 
ally about Christ. She commenced only ten days ago, and what 
is the result ? A son and two daughters — all that she has got — 
have been brought to Christ, and perhaps there is not a happier 
woman in New- York to-day, because she has got the names of 
her family all written in the Book of Life. She knows that they 
are to be an unbroken circle in eternal life. Fathers and moth- 
ers, let us be wise unto eternity, and bring our children into the 
kingdom with us. But, you may say, what has this to do with 
heaven ? You cannot talk about heaven, but the children must 
be spoken of, " for of such is the kingdom of heaven." They 
have been going up there for these six thousand years. Their 
little spirits are up yonder with the Shepherd, and He will 
take better care of them than we can. It seems as if it ought 
to make heaven very dear to us. 



I never talk about children and heaven but what the story of 
two fathers comes right home to me. One lived out in the 
Western country on the banks of the Mississippi River. The 
world calls him rich, but how poor he is or how poor he was. 
Thank God ! be is rich now. One day his oldest son was 
brought home to him unconscious ; a terrible accident had hap- 
pened, and the family physician was hurriedly called in. As 
he came in the father said : " Doctor, do you think my son will 
recover ? " " No," said the doctor, " he is dying and cannot re- 
cover." "Well," says the father, " only bring him to, can't you, 
that we may tell him ? I don't want him to die without knowing 
that he is dying." 'The doctor said he would try, but that the boy 
was fast dying. After a while the boy did become conscious 
for a moment, and the father cried : " My boy, the doctor tells 
me you are dying and cannot live. I could not let you die 
without letting you know it." The young man looked up to his 



518 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

father and said : " Father, do you tell me T am going to die 
right away ? " " Yes, my boy," said the agonized father, "you 
will be gone in a little while." " Oh, father, won't you pray for 
my lost soul?" Said the speechless father, " I cannot pray, 
my son." The boy grew unconscious, and after a little while 
was gone ; and the father said when he buried that boy that if 
he could have called him back by prayer he would have given 
all he was worth. He had been with that boy all those years, 
and had never prayed once for him. Am I talking to a pray- 
erless father and mother to-day ? Gather your children around 
you, and show them the way to the kingdom of God. Train 
them to go where Christ reigns in triumph, that they may be 
with you. 

The other father was a contrast. I don't know but he may 
be in this audience this afternoon. His son had been danger- 
ously ill, and when he came home one day he found his wife 
greatly troubled. She told him there had been a great change 
since morning, and she thought their boy was dying. " I wish," 
said she, "that you would go in and tell him of his condition, 
for I cannot bear to, and he ought to know it if he is dying." 
The father went in, went up to his son's bedside, placed his 
hand on the boy's pale forehead, and saw the cold, damp sweat 
of night was gathering, and he saw in a little while the boy 
would be gone, and he said, " My son, do you know you are 
dying ? " and the young man said, " No. Am I dying ? " 
"Yes, my son." " Will I die to-day?" "Yes, my boy; you 
cannot live until night." And the boy looked surprised and 
yet seemed to be glad, and said, " Well, father, I will be with 
Jesus to-night, won't I ? " " Yes, my boy, you will stand to- 
night with the Saviour," and the father turned away to conceal 
his tears, and the boy saw the tears, and said, " Father don't 
you weep for me : when I go to heaven I will go right straight 
to Jesus and tell Him that ever since I can remember, you 
have tried to lead me to Him." 

God has given me two little children, and if I know my heart 
to-day, I would rather have such testimony as this go home to 
my Father through my children, than to have the world rolled 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 519 

at my feet. I would rather have them come to my grave and 
drop a tear over it, and say, " When my father lived he was 
more anxious for my eternal salvation, than he was for my tem- 
poral good, than I would to have all the power this world can 
bestow. A few weeks ago, when my boy was sick, and I didn't 
know but that it would result fatally, I took my place by the 
side of his bed, and placed my hand on his forehead, and said : 
" Willie, suppose you should be really sick " — I didn't want to 
have him think he was likely to die — " and you should be taken 
away, do you think you would be afraid of death ? " and a tear 
trickled down his cheek as he said " No papa ; last summer I 
was awful afraid of death, but Jesus has taken it all away now. 
If I die I should go to Him and He would give me everything 
I wanted." Ah ! how sweet it was to think the little fellow was 
not afraid of death. It seems to me we ought to teach our 
children so that they will hail with joy the time that they can 
go to meet Jesus, their blessed Saviour. Oh, may the Spirit of 
the Lord God, come upon this assembly to-day, and may we 
know that our names are written in the kingdom of Heaven, 
and then see that the children whom God has given us, are 
written in the Book of Life. 

Mr. Moody continued the next day the subject of Heaven. 
The hall was full ; many had to find seats on the steps 
leading up to the choir, and a less fortunate found none 
at all. The most common incidents that happen every 
day become novel and significant when Mr. Moody 
applies them, weaving them in with grave religious ques- 
tions, and the sermon yesterday was as full of these 
strong and homely illustrations as any he has preached in this 
city. Everybody listens and follows him, feeling the force of 
what he says, whether touched and seriously awakened by it 
or not. His great faith in God and his wholesome views of 
life, overwhelm all argument, and he leads his followers to Christ 
as if there had never been a question raised as to the premises 
which he takes for granted, and as if there was no other way 
to go. 

He began with the injunction to lay up treasures in Heaven. 



520 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

He said that Christianity suffered more from those who have 
accumulated too much wealth here than from those who have 
too little ; they were like balloons which have too much ballast 
to rise above the house-tops ; sand would have to be thrown out 
before they could hope to reach the skies. The church was a 
place where people seemed to go to rest, not to work, but Christ 
said that that rest was only in Heaven, and there, too, was the 
reward. Mr. Sankey and Mr. Thatcher sang together " Oh, to 
be over yonder." 

The sermon was as follows : 

Yesterday you remember our subject was Heaven, and we 
were trying to find out who were there : and I want to take the 
subject right up where I left off, and I call your attention to the 
6th chapter of Matthew and 19th verse, where you will find these 
words : " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where 
moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through 
and steal ; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not 
break through and steal. " Now, if we are living as the Lord 
would have us live, our treasures are laid up in heaven and not 
laid up on the earth, and I think we would be saved from a 
great many painful hours and a great deal of trouble, if we 
would just obey that portion of Scripture, and lay up our treas- 
ures in heaven and not upon the earth. It is just as much a 
command that we lay up our treasures in heaven and not upon 
the earth, as it is that we shall not steal. God tells us plainly, 
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and 
rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal ; 
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and 
rust doth not corrupt and where thieves do not break through 
and steal." It is a command. 

Now, it don't take long to tell where a man's treasure is. It 
don't take long to find out where a man's heart is. You talk 
with a man five minutes and if he has got his heart upon any 
one object you can find it out if that is your aim, and now if you 
want to find out where a man's treasure is, it won't take you^ 
long to find that out either ; for you know that the Bible tells us 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 52I 

" Where your treasure is there shall your heart be also." And 
the reason we have so many earthly-minded people and so few 
people of heavenly minds is because the many have their whole 
heart set upon earthly pleasures and objects, and the few have 
their treasures laid up in heaven. If your treasure is here, you 
will all the time be disappointed and in trouble and trial, when 
the Lord has told you plainly to lay up your treasures in heaven 
where moth and rust doth not corrupt, nor thieves break through 
and steal. Now you talk with a man a few minutes and you 
soon find out where his heart is, Talk about money, and if he 
loves money and is making money and longing for more, how 
his eye will light up ; and if he is fond of politics, and you refer to 
that, his whole face kindles up, for you have touched his heart 
and the subject dearest to him. If it is pleasure, or if it is 
passion, speak about it and he is interested at once. But the 
child of God who has got his treasures yonder, (pointing up- 
ward) when you talk about heaven, you will see his heart is 
there, and if a man's heart is in heaven it is not an effort for 
him to talk about it at all. He cannot help it, and if our af- 
fections are set on things above and not on this earth, it will be 
easy for us to live for God. Now here is the command : " Lay 
not up for yourselves treasures on the earth, but lay up your 
treasures in heaven." 

Now, my friends, ask yourselves the question, Where is 
your treasure ? Or in other words, Where is your heart ? When 
you find out that then you will find out where your treasure is. 
In the 10th chapter of Hebrews, 13th verse, are these words : 
r These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but 
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded to them, and 
embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pil- 
grims on the earth. For they that say such things declare 
plainly that they seek a country." Then in the 10th verse of 
that same chapter, speaking of Abraham, it says: "For he 
looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and 
maker is God." The moment Abraham caught sight of the city 
he proclaimed himself a pilgrim and a stranger. The well- 
watered plains nf Sodom had no temptation for him. He de- 



52 2 MOODY AND: SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

clared plainly that he saw another country — a better country. 
He had turned his heart from this fleeting- world, and Sodom 
with all its temptations didn't tempt him. He had got some- 
thing better. He had his eye fixed upon a city that should en- 
dure when Sodom should have been swept away, and He had 
got His eye fixed upon that city to lay up treasure there. How 
poor a man is, no matter how much he has got laid up in this 
world, if he has not got his treasure laid up in heaven. A 
couple of friends of mine in the war called upon one of our 
great Illinois farmers to get him to give some money for the 
soldiers, and during their stay there he took them upon the cu- 
pola of his house and told them to look over yonder, just as far 
as their eyes could reach, over that beautiful rolling prairie, and 
they said, " That is very nice," and it was all his. Then he 
took them up another cupola and said, " Look at that farm, and 
that, and that," and these were farms all stocked, and improved, 
and fenced, and they said, '"That is very nice," and then . he 
showed them horses, cattle, and sheep-yards, and told them 
" that is all mine.''* He showed them the town where he lived, 
which had been named for him, a great hall, and building lots, 
and those were all his ; and, said he, " I came out West a poor 
boy without a farthing, and I am worth all this ; " but when he 
got through my friend said, '"How much have you got up yon- 
der? " and the old man's countenance fell, for he knew very well 
what that meant. " What have you got there in the other 
world?" "Well," he says, "I have not got anything there." 
" Why," says my friend, " what a mistake ! A man of your 
intelligence and forethought and judgment to amass all this 
wealth, and now drawing to your grave, you will have to leave 
it all. You cannot take a farthing with you, but you must die 
beggared, and a pauper," and the tears rolled down his cheeks as 
he said, " It does look foolish." But a few months after he died, 
as he had lived, and his property passed to others. And we 
see people here in New York accumulating money as if it is all 
there is to live for, and leave it, many of them, to their children 
to make the way down to hell easy for those children. One 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 523 

generation accumulates wealth for the next to squander it and 
to ruin soul and body. 

A great many people are wondering why they don't grow in 
grace ; why they don't have more spiritual power. The ques- 
tion is very easily answered. You have got your treasure down 
here. It is not necessary for a man to have money to have his 
treasure down here. He may have his heart on pleasure. He 
may make an idol of his children, and that is the reason that 
they don't grow in grace. If we would only just be wise and 
do as God tells us, we would mount up, as it were, on wings, 
and would get nearer to heaven every day. We would get 
heavenly-minded in our conversation and have less trouble than 
now. And so, my friends, let us just ask ourselves to-day 
where is our treasure ? Is it on earth or in heaven ? What 
are we doing? What is the aim of our lives? Are we just 
living to accumulate money or to get a position in the world 
for our children ? Or are we trying to secure those treasures 
which we can safely lay up in heaven, becoming rich toward 
God? 

I have known men who have been up in balloons, and they 
told me that when they want to rise higher they just throw out 
some of the sand with which they ballast the balloon. Now, I 
believe one reason why so many people are earthly-minded and 
have so little of the spirit of Heaven is that they have too much 
ballast in the shape of love for earthly joys and gains ; and what 
you want is to throw out some of the sand, and you will rise 
higher. I heard of a man the other day who said he did not 
know what to do with his money. It was a burden to him to 
take care of- it. I could not help but think how quick I could tell 
him what to do with it. I could tell him where to invest it 
where it would bring an eternal profit. I hope to live to see the 
day when men will be as anxious to make investments for the 
Lord as for themselves, and a man won't then be putting so 
much money in railroad shares and so much in banking stocks, 
and so much in a mine in the mountain, but he will put it in 
good security, where it will bring good returns for the Lord. 
That is the kind of investment I think we ought to live for. A 



524 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

friend of mine said that he was in Liverpool some time ago, and 
there was a vessel coming into the harbor. It sailed right up 
the Mersey under full sail, and a little while after another vessel 
came in towed by a tug and sunken to the level of the water. 
He wondered it did not sink ; and he went down to the water's 
edge and saw that they got it into the harbor with a great deal 
of difficulty, and he inquired and found that it was loaded with 
lumber. It had such material on board that it could not sink, 
and it had sprung aleak and had got water-logged. My friends 
I think there are a good many of God's people that have got 
water-logged, and it takes all the strength of the church to look 
after those Christians that are water-logged and so water-logged 
that they cannot go forth and do good to others — help the un- 
fortunate, and lift up the poor drunkard, because they don't know 
whether they are saved themselves. The fact is they are off with 
the world, mingling with the world ; acting, speaking, as though 
in the world, and they don't know whether they are saved 
themselves. 

I believe if we are God's people we must live separate from 
the world. I think before this world is ever reformed, the peo- 
ple of God must be set apart from the world. There never will 
be a true reformation in the world until God's people are sepa- 
rate, until we are liberated here below. Who would want to 
live in the sinful world ? These smoking, chewing, drinking, 
horse-racing, dancing, card-playing Christians will never reform 
this world. We have got to come out and be separate from the 
world, and have our hearts set on things above, and not so much 
on the things of this earth. If we are willing to live the lives 
of Christians, we have got to live them not as if we were of the 
world. Suppose that when we had sent our brothers and fathers 
and sons away to fight the battles of the war, they had chosen 
after they had got away off down South hundreds of miles from 
home — they had chosen to remain there, and had chosen to 
leave forever the wives and sisters and daughters they had left 
behind in the North, and to make homes for themselves among 
the enemy. But instead of that, were they not always anxious 
that the war should be over, and looking eagerly forward to the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 525 

time when they should come back home ? That is the way with 
Christians in this world. We are strangers and pilgrims here 
in this world. It is not home to us ; we are citizens of another 
and a finer country. A man was asked the other day, " Well, 
how is the world getting on ? " He replied, " I do not know. 
I haven't been in the world for several years." He was living in 
another country, taken out of the old place and, transplanted 
into the new. If things do not come to satisfy us down here, let 
us not be complaining ; let us remember that we are on a pil- 
grimage ; that we are citizens of another country, and that we 
are to have all we want when we get home. I was on board 
the train from Chicago to Cairo one day, and there were two 
ladies sitting in the seat behind me, who were talking together, 
and I could not help hearing the conversation. I learned that 
they were strangers when they started from Chicago, but on the 
way, before they came to Cairo, they got quite well acquainted. 
One was going to New Orleans, and one was going to Cairo. 
Before they got to Cairo the Cairo lady said to the New Orleans 
lady, " I wish you would get off at Cairo ; I enjoy your company, 
and I would, like very much to have you spend a few days at 
my home." The New Orleans lady said, " I would like to do so 
but I have packed all my things in my trunk, and they have all 
gone on ahead to New Orleans ; so I have not any clothes with 
me good enough to visit and go into society in. I have nothing 
except what I have on " — and she added — " and you know this 
dress is good enough to travel in." That is what I think of the 
journey of this world. A very little is good enough for us to 
travel in. We are all travelers, and this is good enough for 
traveling. We have raiment and mansions up there waiting for 
us. Let us have our hearts and affections set on things above, 
and not on things on the earth. In Hebrews, fourth chapter, 
and ninth verse, it says: "There remaineth, therefore, a rest 
for the people of God." Not on earth ; it does not say on earth. 
There is another great mistake that a good many people are 
making at the present time. They have an idea that the church 
is a place of rest. Instead of going there to work for God, they 
go there to rest. " There remaineth a rest for the people of 



526 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 



e all 



God. We will rest when we go home. We will have 
eternity to rest in. We do not want to talk about rest here. I 
hope the time will come, and I believe it will come, when they 
will ask this question of all who are candidates for membership 
in the church : " What work do you expect to do ? " and if they 
are going into the church to rest, they will be told that we have 
enough of such members now ; and if we could only get them 
out, and get some others in who will go to work in earnest, it 
would be a good thing for all. We should understand that we 
come into the church to work. All that seems to constitute a 
Christian these days is to unite with the church ; and then, 
after they have joined it, every one in the church must wait on 
them — the minister, the laymen, all the members must go and 
call on them, and they do not do this ; they go to some other 
church, and the quicker they do it the better. " There remain- 
eth a rest for the people of God." The idea of our talking 
about rest here, where Christ has been cast out, where they have 
taken the life of God's own Son. Why should we want to stay 
in the enemy's country at rest and peace ? As long as it is the 
enemy's country, let us not dream of rest. We will rest by 
and by, when Jesus comes. Let us not talk about rest now. I 
heard of a man the other day that got tired and discouraged 
and homesick. He wanted to go home ; he did not see his 
work blessed as it used to be ; and one night as he went to bed 
he wished himself dead. And going to sleep in that state of 
mind it was not unnatural for him to dream the dream that he 
did. He dreamed that he died, and was taken away to the 
Eternal City. When he first got there, as he walked up and 
down the golden streets of heaven, looking upon the Celestial 
City, he met two friends whom he had known upon earth. All 
at once, as they walked together, they noticed that every one 
was looking in a certain direction. He looked and saw some 
one coming up the streets in a golden chariot. He saw that 
He looked different from the rest of the redeemed who had 
come there from earth, and as He came nearer, he saw that it 
was the blessed Lord and Saviour. When the chariot came 
sweeping up to where they were, the Saviour got out of the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 527 

chariot, and asked his companions to get into the chariot, and 
then asked him to walk with Him. The Saviour then took 
him to the battlements of heaven, and said, " What do you 
see?" He answered, "I see the dark world that I have just 
come from." " What else ? " he was then asked. He looked 
further, and replied, "I think I see men going over into 'the 
bottomless pit. " What else ? " I hear the wail coming up 
from these, he said. The Saviour asked " will you stay here 
and enjoy these mansions with Me, or will you go back to 
earth and tell those poor erring mortals about Me ? " Here he 
awoke from his sleep, and he said he has never since wished 
himself dead. He wants to live as long as he can, to proclaim 
to the last the Saviour's life and death to a lost world. 

We have not long to work. Let us work without ceasing. 
Work, work, work ! The first word that Paul ever heard from 
the Son of God was, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me ? " 
Shall the servant be above his master ? Shall we become 
careless of our master's work down here? Oh, let us begin 
to-nigHt, and let it be the work of each one here this very 
week to bring some souls to Christ. A young man who lay 
dying was heard by his watching mother to moan the words 
" Lost, lost, lost ? " She went to him and said, " Why my 
son, why do you say, Lost, lost, lost ? It is not possible that 
you have lost your hope in Christ ? " " No, mother ; not 
that." " Then what do you mean by those words — lost, 
lost ? " " Mother, I was thinking how I have lost my life, how 
I have wasted my twenty-four years. I have done nothing, I 
have lost a life ! " And the young man died regretting that he 
had lost a life time, which was given him in which to work for 
Christ Jesus. If God should summon us to-day, would we be 
ready to go to our account ? Would we not have to say our 
life had been a failure, because we had not done the work that 
He had for us to do ? We will rest by and by. The wicked 
shall cease from troubling by and by. The weary shall be at 
rest by and by. We will not talk about rest here. We shall 
have enough. We shall have all eternity for rest. 

I want to call your attention next to the fact that our reward 




528 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

is in heaven, and not here. God's people make the great mis- 
take of looking for a reward down here. They are still looking 
for a reward down here. Let us remember that the reward is 
beyond. I have noticed that that is the case with almost every 
one of God's people — they look for reward down here. God 
does not propose to reward His children here. He is to 
reward them up yonder. We are to work here. When we are 
done He will say " Well done, good and faithful servant. 
Enter into the joy of thy Lord." You will then have a seat at 
His right hand. The reward will be great, He says. If God 
calls the reward great, what kind of a reward will it be ? If 
the great God says so, won't it be a wonderful reward ? Instead 
of looking for reward and honor here, let us look beyond for 
it. See what Paul says to Timothy, " For there will be for me 
a crown." He did not look for his crown here. 

When I read the life of Paul it makes me ashamed of the 
Christianity of the present day. Talk about what we have suf- 
fered ! Talk about what we have done ! I think it would do 
every member of the church good to spend six months reading 
the life of Paul, and to see what he had to go through.. He had 
been beaten four times, and received thirty-nine stripes upon 
the bare back. If one of us should get even one stripe now, 
how many volumes would be written on the martyrdom ! What 
a whine there would be ! It was nothing for Paul to be beaten 
with thirty-nine stripes. Did any one say to Paul, "You have 
been beaten already four times before, and now they are going 
to bring that scourge upon your back as many times again per- 
haps \ had you not better go off down to Europe, and rest for 
six months until this persecution dies out ? " The appeal would 
pass him by unheeded. " I have but one aim, one thing to 
hope for. I press toward the mark of my high calling in Christ 
Jesus." These earthly afflictions, what were they ? He never 
complained of them. . Instead of giving up his opinions and his 
hope, he was willing to stand his stripes and his miseries again 
and again. And it was no trifling matter, these beatings he 
received. Yet he received them all and would not deny the 
faith that the mercy and power of God had wrought in him. 



THE WORK OF -GRACE IN NEW YORK. 529 

If you allow me the expression, the devil had his match when 

he got hold of Paul. Not all he could do would give him the 

upper hand of Paul and separate him from the love of God. 

He had his reward in view, and he always, scorning what the 

world could do to him, pressed toward that reward. He knew 

that all his sufferings here would be wiped away, and joy and 

peace be his, when he wore the crown for which he had so 

bravely fought. And how many are working for these crowns 

at the present day ? How much would they suffer now for a like 

reward that awaited this mighty warrior ? His enemies one 

time took him out and stoned him like the martyr Stephen. 

Think of the torment he experienced, the pain that he must 

have suffered, as these stones were hurled at him. So great 

was the anger of those who were thus around him, that they 

left him for dead when they got through with him. See his 

head all swollen up ; see the bruises upon his body and his limbs ; 

see the ugly scars and the gaping wounds that he carried. He 

was hardly brought to life again, and for a long time thereafter 

you could see him with his injured head and black eye on the 

corners of the streets, and yet not frightened by any means, 

but preaching the glorious Gospel of his God and Master Jesus 

Christ. He went to Corinth, was not afraid, but preached 

there for eighteen months, and in all his ministrations, and in 

all his labors he had to rely upon himself. He had no influen- 

: tial committee to meet him upon his arrival at the station and 

,< conduct him to a fine hotel and make all arrangements about his 

■ expenses. There were no stations in those days ; when he did 

* arrive he came unannounced and on foot. And instead of a 

1 splendid hotel to go to, his first care was to go himself, walk 

( around all the streets and find cheap lodgings in some alley 

i where he could go after he had left off preaching for the day to 

make tents, to which trade he had been brought up. And then, 

after all his preaching, and all his labors, what reward did he 

t receive ? Well, there was a sort of committee, and they said 

they would pay him off. Did they give him some testimonial 

3 and a large sum in money then ? What they did do instead of 

presenting him with, say, a thousand dollars in gold — this com- 



530 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. . 

mittee I speak of took him down to a cross street and gave him 
thirty-nine stripes. That is the way they paid him off. That 
was the way they treated this mighty fighter, a preacher that 
turned the world upside down. 

Talk about Alexander making the world tremble at the tread 
of his armies ! Talk about Napoleon shaking the world to its 
centre when the powers knew he had gathered his army round 
about him ! Why these have all passed away, but the words o 
Paul, of the despised tent-maker, make the world tremble even 
to this day. He talks about being in peril among robbers. 
Well what did the robbers find on him ? No money, no jewelry, 
— nothing. What treasures he had, he had placed them above 
their reach — he had put them in heaven where thieves do not 
break through or steal. The robbers got nothing from him, 
though he was richer than any man at the present day. Not a 
man who has lived since Paul is richer than he was. Three 
times again he says, he suffered shipwreck ; also a clay and a 
night he was in the deep. He had been subjected to perils by 
water, to perils of robbers, to perils brought about by his own 
countrymen. Besides these he experienced perils of the wilder- 
ness ; perils among false brethren — ah! that must have been 
the hardest. He was weary, he was in pain, but none of these 
things would move him. Thank God, the apostle was a warrior, 
and would to God that the Church had a thousand like him at 
the present day. Nothing was able to battle him down. Not 
even the newspaper of the day, if they had one, pitching into 
him every day would have caused him a moment's thought. It 
might have called him a poor deluded man, might have said to 
him : " Oh, you poor fool." For none of these things did he 
care. He looked above and beyond them. He knew there was 
a glorious reward awaiting him. And so the mighty warrior 
went on to fight for his Master. But at last he had to flee, and 
to escape he was let down the walls in a basket. He goes to 
fight elsewhere. Driven out of one place, he does not de- 
spair ; and that is the spirit that we want to-day. He was al- 
ways willing to receive the stripes and the torments and to suffer 
everything the world could heap upon him for the cause of 



i 

! 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 53 1 

Christ. His enemies again gave him thirty-nine stripes. Well, 
he was used to it. His back had not perhaps got well before 
he received this punishment. After they got through with him 
they cast him and Silas into prison. No sooner had they got 
in, instead of being frightened at what they had received, they 
began to worship the God for whom they had suffered. Paul 
says to Silas : " Come, Silas, let us praise God and have 
prayers." And they opened their worship by singing, perhaps, 
the 46th Psalm. After that they had prayers and called upon 
God for His protection. And as soon as they had said " amen," 
their God responded to their cries for help, and the whole prison 
shook, and there was a great commotion. Yes, that was a 
queer place to sing praises in — a prison ; and it was just after 
he had received the stripes. • Why, I dare say, if Mr. Sankey 
should have only one stripe upon his naked back, he would not 
feel much like singing. But this man had received thirty-nine. 
He was as much at home with his God in prison as he was out of 
it. He could praise Him as well behind bolts and bars as he 
could in the synagogue. He knew what his reward would be. 
He knew that the grave would be his immediate reward, but he 
had faith in the great hereafter ; he had a crown and a reward 
that would not pass away. Yes, do you think that God would 
have let him suffer like that without rewarding him ? If we 
suffer persecution for Christ's sake, great will be our reward. 
Paul's sufferings were the cause of the conversion of the Phil- 
ippian jailer. I suppose he was the first convert in Europe. 
Look at him again in Rome. The time had come for his de- 
parture ; Nero has signed the order for his execution, and he is 
being taken out to be beheaded. Ask him now at this moment, 
when death is but a little way off, if he is sorry that he has 
suffered for the Son of God. Ask him if he would not like to 
recant to save his head. I can imagine how the old boy would 
look if you should ask him such a question as that. They are 
going to take him two miles out of the city to the place of exe- 
cution. He walks with a steady, unfaltering step. He wavers 
not, nor looks aside. His gaze is fixed upon the reward of his 
high calling in Christ Jesus. And he writes to his friend Tim 



532 . MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

othy, c{ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown." You 
could not shake him in his faith. Thank God, at this dread 
moment he kept his word w'ith Jesus. He had never preached 
any false doctrine. He had only preached Christ crucified, and 
had manfully fought under his banner like a faithful soldier to 
this the end of his life. " Good-bye," you can imagine him say- 
ing to Timothy, " henceforth there is laid up for me a crown, 
and I am going to win it." As he walked through the streets 
of Rome, I tell you Rome never had such a conqueror. Not 
all her mighty men of war, not all her generals and statesmen 
and orators had risen to the supreme height that Paul had 
reached at this moment. He was going to receive a prize that 
would eclipse all the trophies of war and wit and learning. 

But at last he approaches the fatal spot He is placed in the 
position that he had to take; the executioner makes him ready, 
and at the given signal the blow descends, his head comes off, 
and his spirit is lifted into the golden chariot, and is borne to 
the pearly gates of Heaven. As he approaches the celestial 
portals, the battlements of Heaven are crowded with the saints 
that Paul by his preaching had sent before him. Ah ! how they 
welcome him. He is borne on toward the great white throne 
to receive, his reward. The bells of Heaven are set a ringing, 
and hosannas are chanted by the choir of Paradise. He comes 
near the throne and he hears the great voice saying, " Well 
done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." And the saints now gather around Him, and greet, and 
bear witness for him to the Master he had so faithfully served. 
One would say, " That sermon that you preached to the Gala- 
tians wrought a change of heart in me, and I have been chosen 
to take my place among the elect." Another would say, " That 
lecture that you delivered at Thessalonia converted me." An- 
other — "Paul, that appeal that you made at Corinth touched 
my wicked soul ; I began to worship Jesus whom you preached, 
and here I am among the angels." Oh, what a reward was that. 
Was it not worth all the cares, troubles, anxieties, sufferings, 
torments, and death he had gone through ? Men murmur at 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 533 

the little crosses they have to endure here, but they forget if 
they be faithful, the Lord will reward them by and by. 

What causes joy in heaven ? One more thought before I close. 
What is it that occasions so much joy in heaven ? Suppose some 
great discovery had been made in this country. It would throw 
the whole nation into excitement. If it should turn out that 
some great mines had been discovered whose riches had never 
been equaled ; that it rewarded all those that went to it with an 
independent fortune in a few months. What intense excitement 
would be created all through the land. Yet this would not be 
noticed in Heaven. What would, then, create joy in that place? 
Why, if that little girl down there would only give her heart to 
Jesus to-day, all Heaven would sing and shout " There is joy," 
it is written, "over one sinner that repenteth." The idea that 
that little boy or that little girl could cause joy in Heaven, and 
create an excitement there ! for every sinner that repents there 
is joy in heaven. Just look at the 15th chapter of Luke : 
" When he found the sheep he called his friends in." I have 
tried to make out what friends are there referred to. Were they 
the angels ? No, I don't think they were the angels. I can 
imagine, and I think the idea a legitimate one, that these friends 
are the redeemed ones that knew us, and loved us, and prayed 
for us on earth. These are the people whose names Christ is 
writing in the Book of Life. It might be that an entry would 
be made that down at the Hippodrome, on March iotb, at four 
o'clock in the afternoon, these redeemed ones first turned their 
hearts to Me. Some beloved mother is up there, it may be, and 
is now looking down on her child, and is praying that her child 
may have a clean heart and seek the Lord. Perhaps some lit- 
tle, loving child is looking over the battlements to see its father 
or mother here repent and give their souls to God. When I 
was in the great Exhibition Building in Dublin, I said that per- 
haps a mother was praying near the throne for a certain young 
lady in the audience, and asking her if she would not come to 
Jesus. A short time afterward I received the following letter : 
" Dear Sir : On Wednesday, when you were speaking of Heaven, 
you said that ' it might be that at this moment a mother was 



534 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

looking down from Paradise and praying for the salvation of 
her child who is here.' You apparently looked at the spot where 
my child was seated. My heart said, ' That is my child, and 
that is her mother.' Tears sprang to my eyes, and I bowed my 
head and prayed that the Lord would show his way to my dar- 
ling child. Lord save my child, I cried. I was then anxious 
to the close of the meeting. When I reached her she was 
bathed in tears, and she arose and put her arms around my neck 
and kissed me, and on the way to the inquiry-room she told me 
that it had been the same remark about a mother looking down 
from Heaven that had found its way to her heart.'' I remem- 
ber that time when a beautiful young lady was led to the in- 
quiry-room, leaning on the arm of her father. " What can I do 
to be saved ?" she said. And afterward she became a zealous 
worker for the Lord. The letter was written by her father, who 
is a clergyman. 

Shall these lectures close without one deciding to make heaven 
his home ? Will there be no young man to start for heaven 
to-day? — no person, no father, no mother, that will repent and 
turn to God ? I pray that many will accept salvation. Shall 
we all pray that He will save every soul in this assembly? 
Would it be asking too much ? Let us who are saved pray that 
God will rescue every lost soul here ; and as we pray let us bow 
the head and lift up our heart — and may Christ the God hear 
us, and hearing save. 

The Other Side of the Picture. 

After the glowing sermon on Heaven that gathers up the 
Scripture into a broad beam of light and lets it shine on the 
future to win men, we introduce the reports of that discourse, 
and some portions of it, which shows the intensity of the speak- 
er's feelings respecting the danger of unbelievers : 

Mr. Moody gave as his text, "Son, Remember," saying 
that, if he consulted his own feelings, he would be preaching on 
Heaven or God's love, but a man who came as a messenger 
must give the whole message. 

For the first time since he has been in the city Mr. Moody 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 535 

preached on the dark side of the religious question — the conse- 
quences of a godless life, or rather the consequences of rejecting 
Christ, whether the life be godless or not. It was not like most 
of his sermons, the natural expression of easily flowing thoughts, 
but the dutiful message of a man who gives warning of the 
worst. In his most rigorous sermon he tells not of a hell, the 
fires of which are always burning, but of a conscience which 
never sleeps or forgets. He might picture under a pressure of 
argument other torments, but as yet he has only given the 
ameliorated form of everlasting suffering. He finds in the words 
" Son, remember," enough suffering for all eternity. Going 
from the densely crowded streets one scarcely expected to find 
many gathered in the hall, but there was the usual large congre- 
gation in attendance. 

I was at the Paris Exhibition in 1867, and I noticed there 
a little oil painting, only about a foot square, and the face was 
the most hideous I have ever seen. On the paper attached to 
the painting were the words " Sowing the tares," and the face 
looked more like a demon's than a man's. As he sowed 
these tares, up came serpents and reptiles, and they were 
crawling up on his body, and all around were woods with 
wolves and animals prowling in them. I have seen that 
picture many times since. Ah ? the reaping time is com- 
ing. If you sow to the flesh you must reap the flesh, If 
you sow to the wind you must reap the whirlwind. God 
wants you to come to Him and receive salvation as a gift. You 
can decide your destiny to-day if you will. Heaven and hell 
are set before this audience, and you are called upon to choose. 
Which will you have ? If you will take Him He will receive you 
to His arms. If you will reject Him He will reject you. 

Now, my friends, will Christ ever be more willing to save you 
than He is now ? Will He ever have more power than He has 
now? Then why not be saved now? Why not make up your 
mind to be saved now while mercy- is offered you ? I remember 
a few years ago, while the Spirit of God was working in our 
church, I closed the meeting one night by asking if there were 
any that would like to become Christians to rise, and to my great 



536 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

joy a man arose that had been anxious for some time. I went 
up to him and took him by the hand and shook it and said, "I 
am glad to see you get up. You are coming out for the Lord 
now in earnest ? " " Yes," said he, " I think so. That is. there 
is only one thing in my way." Said I, " What is that ? " 
" Well," said he, " I lack moral courage. I confess to you that 
if such a man " — naming a friend of his — " had been here to- 
night, I should not have risen. He would laugh at me if he 
knew of this, and I don't believe I have the courage to tell him." 
" But," said I, " you have got to come out boldly for the Lord, 
if you come out at all. That is what you have got to do ; "and 
I talked with him, and he was trembling from head to foot. I 
thought the spirit of God was striving with him, and I believe 
the Spirit was striving earnestly with him. I did not labor with 
that man as I often wished since that I had. I wish that night 
I had prayed more earnestly with him. He came back the next 
night, and the next night, and the next night, and the Spirit of 
God strove with him for weeks. It seemed as if he came to the 
very threshold of Heaven, and was almost stepping over into 
the blessed world. I never could find out any reason for this 
hesitation except that he feared his old companions would laugh 
at him. I notice that when men go to prison no one laughs at 
them, but when they come out and declare their intention of 
leading good lives and standing up for Jesus, then men laugh at 
them and make sport of them. 

Well, I thought surely this man would be brought into the 
fold, but at last the spirit of God seemed to leave him ; convic- 
tion was gone, and then after that when he used to meet me on 
the street he used to shun me, and if I met him coming along 
the same side of the street he would cross over to the other side 
and dodge me in every way he could. He finally got so that he 
didn't come to church on the Sabbath. He always used to come 
before. And that is the fault some people find with these meet- 
ings. They say it hardens people. Yes, it does harden some 
people. Any man that goes through a special meeting like this 
and rejects the gospel of course becomes hardened, and his 
chances are much less for heaven. The things that formerly 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 537 

moved them do not move them so readily the next time. It 
hardens a great many. It hardened this man. Six months from 
that time I got a message from him that he was sick and wanted 
to see me. I went to him in great haste. He was very sick 
and thought he was dying. He asked me if there was any hope. 
Yes, I told him, God had sent Christ to save him, and I prayed 
with him. Contrary to all expectations and to the belief of the 
physicians, he recovered and got off from his sick bed. One 
day I went down to see him. It was a bright, beautiful day, and 
he was sitting out in front of his house convalescing rapidly, 
and I said, " You are coming out for God, now, aren't you ? 
You will be well enough soon to come back to our meetings 
again ?" Said he, "Mr. Moody, I have made up my mind to 
become a Christian. My mind is fully made up to that, but I 
won't be one just now. I am going to Michigan to buy a farm 
and settle down, and then I will become a Christian." Said I 
" But you don't know yet that you will get well." "Oh," said 
he, " I will be perfectly well in a few days. I'll risk it. I have 
got a new lease of life." " Oh," said I, "it seems to me that 
you are tempting God," and I pleaded with him, and tried every 
way to get him to take his stand. At last said he, " Mr. Moody 
I can't be a Christian in Chicago. When I get away from Chi- 
cago, and get to Michigan, away from my friends and acquaint- 
ances, who laugh at me, I will be ready to go to Christ." , Said 
I, " If God has not got grace enough to save you in Chicago, He 
has not in Michigan," and I preached Christ to him, and urged 
Christ upon him. At last he got a little irritated, and said, " Mr. 
Moody, you can just attend to your business, and I will to mine, 
and if I lose my soul, no one will be to blame bat myself — cer- 
tainly not you, for you have done all you could." I went away 
from that house then with a heavy heart. 

I well remember the day of the week, Thursday, about noon, 
just one week from that very day, when I was sent for by his 
wife to come in great haste. I hurried there at once. His 
poor wife met me at the door, and I asked her what was the 
matter. " My husband," she said, " has been taken down with 
some disease, and I have just had a council of physicians here, 



538 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

and they have all given him up to die." Said I, " Does he 
want to see me? " " No," said she. " Then why did you send 
for me ? " Said she, " I cannot bear to see him' die in this ter- 
rible state of mind." "What does he say?" 1 asked. Said 
she, " He says his damnation is sealed and he will be in hell in 
a little while." I went in, and he at once fixed his eye upon 
me. I called him by name, but he was speechless. I went 
around to the foot of the bed and looked in his face and said, 
li Won't you speak to me ? " and he at last fixed that terri- 
ble deathly look upon me and said, " Mr. Moody, you need not 
talk to me any more. It is too late. You can talk to my wife 
and children ; pray for them ; but my heart is as hard as the 
iron in that stove there. My damnation is sealed and I will be 
in hell in a little while." I tried to tell him of Jesus's love and 
of God's forgiveness, but he said, " Mr. Moody, don't you mock 
me. I tell you there is no hope for me." And as I fell on my 
knees he said, "You need not pray for me; you need not pray 
for a lost soul. My wife will soon be left a widow and my chil- 
dren will be fatherless. They need your prayers, but you need 
not pray for me." I tried to pray, but it seemed as if my pray- 
ers didn't go higher than my head, and as if the heaven above 
me was like brass. As I took the cold, clammy hand, the sweat 
of death was upon it, and it seemed like bidding farewell to a 
man I should never see in time or eternity. I left him with a 
broken heart. That was about noon. The next day his wife 
told me he lingered until the sun went down behind those West- 
ern prairies, and from noon until he died all he was heard to 
say was, " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and I am 
not saved." After lingering along an hour he would say again 
those words, and just as he was expiring his wife noticed his 
lips quiver, and that he was trying to say something, and as she 
bent over him she heard him mutter, " The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and I am not saved," and the angels bore 
him away to judgment. He lived a Christless life ; he died a 
Christless death ; we wrapped him in a Christless shroud and 
bore him away to a Christless grave. Oh, how dark and sad ! 
Are there some here that are almost persuaded to be "Chris- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 539 

tians ? Take my advice and not let anything keep you away. 
Fly to the arms of Jesus this day and hour. You can be saved 
if you will. Son, remember! I have warned you to-day. 
Daughter, remember! you cannot say that I did not lift up a 
warning voice to-day and exhort you with all my soul to escape 
the damnation of hell. 

When he described the scene at the death bed of the de- 
spairing and unrepentant sinner, a thrill of horror passed through 
the vast assemblage and tears rolled down many a furrowed 
cheek. Mr. Sankey was visibly affected by the picture, and 
when he raised his head at the close of the address his eyes 
were red from weeping. The preacher concluded by referring 
to the fact that the fifth week of his work in this city would 
come to an end with his sermon, and by praying earnestly that 
many might be brought to Christ to commemorate the event. 
The services closed with the singing of 

" Jesus, lover of my soul." 

Mr. Moody has had a very successful week. Though the 
weather was not entirely propitious, the crowds were but 
slightly diminished. The endurance of these two evangelists is 
something startling. Still one can see by their make-up that 
they are intended for severe labor. Mr. Sankey weighs about 
two hundred and twenty pounds avoirdupois, and measures 
forty-four inches around the chest. This is the weight and 
chest measure of the basso pro/undo in an opera troupe, and is 
indicative of great constitutional resistance. Mr, Moody is 
only an inch or two less in chest measurement and but a few 
pounds lighter. These gentlemen are both remarkable for 
equable temperaments. They are the most cheerful and happy 
men in New York. Never anxious or fretful about the future, 
they do each day's duties as they present themselves. If this 
is religion it would do some of our worn out and tired merchants 
good to make an experimental investment in it. 

With all his zeal and earnestness. Mr. Moody is not a man 
over-weighted with gravity. His quick sympathy with people 
of all classes, and his appreciation of their sorrows, make him 



540 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

often pathetic, and his belief in the danger of the unconverted 
soul makes him deeply in earnest; but he has no melancholy 
views of life, no morbid dread of impending evil, and none of 
the sombre views of those who think of God only as a Judge 
and Avenger. Those who hear him most are the least aston- 
ished at the whole movement and the crowd he draws. The 
most severe critics of his views and methods soon forget their 
criticism in the genial atmosphere of his sincere, easy talk and 
irresistible humor. His sermons are to those of the more 
scholarly and cultivated clergymen, what home ballads are to 
symphonies, and every one must like them whether they are 
educated to appreciate fully the symphonies or not. The quiet 
humor of the preacher was never more effective than when illus- 
trating the excuses made by those bidden to the feast, and the 
reasons given him every day by those who reject Christ. When 
finally he told of a man seventy-eight years old, who said he 
wanted to be a Christian, and would be one, " but I am afraid, 
sir, I would not hold out," the whole audience smiled. 

In one of the churches reference was made at some length to 
the disinterested nature of the work at the Hippodrome — such 
an immense effort and outlay on the part of men who have per- 
sonally nothing to gain by the movement, neither position, nor 
money, nor reputation, none of the rewards which are generally 
the stinjuiants of labor. Mr. Moody, who gives his time and 
unremitting efforts to the cause, the clergymen of prominence 
and talent who assist him daily, the young men of the Christian 
Association who act as ushers and work in the inquiry-rooms, 
and behind these the gentlemen of wealth and liberality who 
support the whole organization — it is only through the disinter- 
ested cooperation of all these men that the movement is such 
a wide-spread success. All that is left for the people to do is 
to go and listen and assent. No effort, no money is require^ 
from the audiences, anq* no especial quality but receptivity. 
The words fall and spring up bearing fruit Mr. Moody tells 
of a man with such a rigorous sense of justice that he "did not 
believe in being saved all at once and for nothing ; " yet so 
simple and plain is the plan of salvation which is taughf: at the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 54 1 

Hippodrome, that very many who go find themselves believing 
and trusting for nothing and all at once. 

Of all the people that assemble there, none seem to enjoy the 
revival with more fervor than the old people, of whom there is 
always a large proportion. Many go day after day, and are 
to be found in the same places. In religious feeling alone the 
world seems not to have distanced them, but to go with them 
or to follow them, and they have a sense of company which to 
them is growing a rare experience. It is a great popular move- 
ment in which they have their full share, and in which their 
years only give them a more vital interest. With bent heads and 
closed eyes they say their fervent amens as they listen to the 
sympathy, charity and hopefulness which Mr. Moody daily 
gives them. He is not so much above their mental range but 
that he can set their thoughts and feelings flowing with love 
and gratitude. 

Dr. John Hall said : I am extremely touched by the number 
of old men and the mothers in Israel who are here. Many of 
them may not have much money to give or be able to do for 
others, but all can pray. God does not keep the door barred. 
Just as a lawyer makes it his business to handle cases, and a 
physician to cure diseases, so it is the business of the Christian 
to pray. We clergymen are extremely anxious to have our 
congregations revived, but what we want is to be quickened and 
revived ourselves, to go up to the level where we want our peo 
pie to be. Be you what you want others to be. You, parents, 
be Christlike before your children. I have often been surprised 
and amused at people who, after spending years in a godless 
life and then coming to Christ, wonder that every one they 
speak to is not converted to God. I want to say to them, Did 
you come at once? How long did you wait after God called 
you ? God has had patience with us and we must have patience 
too. Old Christians ought always to pray and not faint ; the 
clouds are not from the sun, but from the earth. 

There was a time when I thought I must preach with a loaf 
of bread in one hand and the Gospel in the other. But it is a 



542 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

thousand times better to get the blessing that cripple got ; as 
for the rest God will take care of His own. 

Mr. Moody invited to the front of the platform a highly respect- 
able-looking grey-haired man, above the middle age, who stated 
that he was converted three weeks ago, and that he was a hotel 
proprietor and kept a bar previous to his conversion. He testi- 
fied of the power of Christ over his soul not because he felt it, but 
because the word of God gave him authority for saying his sins 
were put away and he was a new man. He carried his Bible, 
and appealed to it in support of all the statements he made. 
Two more reformed drunkards, middle-aged men, whose coun- 
tenance bore traces of the effect of strong drink, also spoke. 
One of them was converted about three weeks ago, but the 
baptism he then received was John's baptism. Since Mr. 
Moody's visit he was baptized with a love for winning souls to 
Christ. The third man was converted but three weeks ago. 

Said Mr. Moody : I wonder how many of these people here 
this afternoon would like to be saved ? I am not going to ask 
those who would to rise. I do not know whether any one would 
have courage to rise, and by that act say, " I would like to be 
saved." Perhaps you say to yourselves, " If that man will just 
tell me the way how I can be saved this afternoon, I will be 
saved." I believe one reason why so few are saved is because 
they do not come out to the meetings expecting to be saved. 
They do not come for that purpose. There was a lady came to 
our meeting in Philadelphia — to the noon meeting at n o'clock; 
she came early so as to get a good seat. After the meeting was 
over we had another meeting for women, and she stayed at that. 
She had made up her mind not to leave the meetings until she 
had found Christ. She did not find Him at that meeting, but 
she might have found Him. He was offered freely to every one 
at all of them. So she stayed at the afternoon meeting, and 
still no light came. She stayed at the evening meeting and 
went into the inquiry meeting afterward. Between n and 12 
o'clock she took me by the hand and said, " I will trust Him." 
And she rejoiced in the Saviour's love. I met her afterward. 
There was not a face shone more than hers did. There was a 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 543 

woman who came determined to find Him. When we search 
for God with all our hearts we are sure to find Him. 

Now a great many think they can't repent because they have 
not this sorrow they talk about ; they want to work up their feel- 
ings before they repent. Now all this is man's idea. With the 
command for all men to repent comes the power. God ain't an 
unjust God ; he don't tell all to repent and then not give the 
power to do it. With the command He gives the power, and 
you can turn to Him if you will. You are free agents, and if you 
come to God you will live, and if you refuse to return to Him, of 
course you must die. And now I want to warn you about one 
thing and that is fear. Fear is not repentance. I have not 
much hope of scaring men into the kingdom of God. If you 
could do it you would have them out as quickly as they got in. 
It is like men in a storm at sea. They are cursing and blas- 
pheming and in fifteen minutes after they all turn very pious. 
This is not repentance ; it is fear. A great many men repent 
# on their dying bed, but when they recover they forget all about 
it. That is not what we want. It is a cool, calm calculation 
that you will just make up your mind that you will turn from sin 
and turn to God ; and he will receive every one that will so turn 
to Him, for He deals in mercy. 

Reconciliation Illustrated. 

You hear people say they can't understand that : they can- 
not imagine but they have to do something to satisfy God. But 
I tell you that God is satisfied, God is reconciled. You have 
the word of Paul that God is reconciled to us. Yes, thank God, 
He is reconciled to the world. Can you reconcile God ? Christ 
has done that. The moment a sinner takes this to heart, and 
comes to Jesus, that moment he is saved. Perhaps a story will 
illustrate this as well as anything. In England I was told about 
an only son — these only sons are hard to bring up properly ; 
they have every whim and caprice gratified ; they generally grow 
up headstrong, self-willed, and obstinate, and make it miserable 
for any one to have anything to do with them. Well, this son 
had a father something like himself in disposition. And one day 



544 MOODY AND SAXKEY IN AMERICA. 

a quarrel arose between them, and at last, as the son would not 
give in and own he was wrong, the father in a fit of anger said 
that he wished his son would leave the house and never come 
back again. " Well," rejoined the boy (as angry as his father,) 
" I will leave, and I never will enter your house again until you 
ask me." " Well, then, you won't come back in a hurry," replied 
his father. The boy then left. The father gave up the boy, but 
the mother did not. Perhaps these men here won't understand 
that, but you women do. A great many things will separate a 
man from his wife, a father from his son, but nothing in the wide, 
wide world will ever separate a mother from her child. A jury 
can bring in a verdict against her son ; the hisses may go up 
against him ; he is condemned to be hanged ; there is not a 
friendly paper to write an article in his favor. But if his mother 
be there, the boy has at least one eye to rest upon him, one 
heart to beat in sympathy with him. He is taken to the cold, 
damp cell and left to his fate. All forsake him but his mother. 
She comes there; she puts her arm around his neck; she 4 
kisses him ; she would spend all the time with him if the officers 
would allow it. She cannot save him. The day before his ex- 
ecution she sees him for the last time ; she has not the 
courage to see him in the shadow of the gallows. The supreme 
moment at length arrives ; he is led forth, and in a few minutes 
he dangles a corpse. Does the mother then forget him ? No ; 
even now she goes to his grave, strews flowers upon it, and 
waters them with her tears. A mother's love is next to God's 
love. Death is stronger than everything else; yes, but with the 
exception of one thing — a mother's love. Death and decay 
may wreck this city, buildings may cease to exist, everything 
yields before them but a mother's love. 

To refer to the illustration again • When the father had given 
the boy up, he thought he would never come back, the mother 
was taken very sick. She had been trying by every means in 
her power to effect a reconciliation between the father and son. 
When she found she could not recover from her illness shev 
again renewed her efforts with all the power of a mother's love. 
She wrote to her son, imploring him to ask his father's forgive- 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 545 

ness. He sent word back that he would not write to his father 
unless his father first wrote to him. " I will never come home 
until he asks me," he said. The mother began to get lower 
and lower. Her husband at this time came to the bedside and 
asked if there was anything he could do for her. " Yes, yes," 
she cried, " there is one thing — you can send for my boy. That 
is the only wish I have on earth that is not gratified. If you 
do not care for him when I am alive, who will care for him when 
I am gone? I cannot bear to die and leave my child among 
strangers. Just let me see him and speak to him and I will die 
in peace." The father said he could not send for him. He 
could, but he wouldn't. He did not want to. The mother has 
but a few hours now to live. She again beseeches her husband 
that he will send for their son. The father said he would send 
a dispatch to him, but in her name. " No, no ; that would not 
do." Well, he can stand it no longer, and he signs his own at 
the foot of the telegram. It was sent, and the moment the boy 
received it he took the first train home. The father was stand- 
ing by the side of the bed when the son arrived. But when he 
saw the door open he turned his back upon him and walked 
away. The mother grasped the hand of her boy and pressed it 
again and again, and kissed him fervently. " Oh ! just speak 
to your father, won't you? Just speak the first word." "No, 
mother, I will not speak to him until he speaks to me." The 
excitement was too much and she was rapidly sinking. She 
told her husband she was dying. She now took his hand in 
one of hers, and held the hand of her boy in the other, and 
sought and strove to bring about a reconciliation. But neither 
would speak. With her last strength she then placed the hand 
of the son into the hand of the father and sank down into the 
arms of death, and was borne by the angels into the kingdom of 
God. The father looked at the wife and then at the boy ; he 
caught his eye ; they fell upon each other's necks, and there 
stood weeping by the bed of the departed. That is the illustra- 
tion I have given ; but it is not a fair illustration in this respect ; 
God is not angry with us. With that exception it is a good 
illustration of reconciliation. Christ brought the hand of the 



546 MOODY" AND SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

Father clear down to this world ; He put the hand of the sinner 
into the hand of His Father and died that they might be recon- 
ciled. You have nothing to do' then to bring about a reconcil- 
iation. God is already reconciled to us and is ready to save us. 
Let us pray. 

The sermon, as usual, was full of familiar illustrations. Even 
two boys, with ragged hats and dirty hands, who had evidently 
dropped in there for an adventure, paid enough attention to 
catch all the stories and convey them to each other by nudges. 
If some delay over the sermon tried them, the singing came in 
time to prevent a retreat. By request, Mr. Sankey sang "The 
Ninety and Nine " again. 

At the opening Mr. Sankey sung " Holy Spirit, heavenly 
Guide," while the audience sat in perfect quiet. 

Instead of basing his sermon upon a text, according to the 
usual form, Mr. Moody seems to prefer a general subject, and 
then in the course of his address he reads from a small and 
much-thumbed Bible a number of passages of Scripture, illus- 
trating and enforcing his teaching. No one ever preaches ser- 
mons in more cheerful tones and with a more genial manner, 
and in this way he takes from religion any seeming austerity, 
presenting it so attractively that the light-hearted of his hearers 
cannot dread its effect upon their youth and spirits. He 
preached upon the Holy Ghost. When he said, " I do not seek 
to work through your brains as much as through your hearts, 
since it is not intellectual power so much as love for Christ 
which you want," he struck the keynote of his work. The 
house was full. The labors of the inquiry rooms are extensive 
and successful ; meetings are held in them whenever the con- 
gregations in the larger hall are dismissed. 

Mr. Moody said : the Holy Ghost is our teacher. He will 
teach us and show us things to come. He comes to speak of 
Christ, not of Himself. A man came to me the other day and 
said he was going clown to Florida, where my wife and family 
are, and wanted to know if I had any message to send. Well, 
I sent them a message ; but suppose when that man went down 
there he should go and see my wife and should begin and talk 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 547 

about himself, and not say a word about me. That would not 
cheer their hearts ; they would want to hear about me. That 
would make their hearts warm. The Holy Ghost teaches us 
this lesson of self-forgetfulness. Every one of us Christians 
wants more of the Holy Ghost. Let us all give ourselves up 
to the influence of His spirit, who will lead us on to liberty and 
life and peace and joy. 

I have believed in God for thirty years. When first con- 
verted, I did not believe in Him very much, but ever since then 
I have believed in him more and more every year. When peo- 
ple come to me, tell me they can't believe, and ask what they 
shall do, I tell them to do as I once knew a man do. He went 
and knelt down and told God honestly he could not believe 
in Him, and I advise them to go off alone and tell it right out 
to the Lord. But if you stop to ask yourselves why you don't 
believe in Him, is there really any reason ? People read infi- 
del books and wonder why they are unbelievers. I ask why 
they read such books. They think they must read both sides. 
I say that book is a lie, how can it be one side when it is a lie ? 
It is not one side at all. Suppose a man tells right down lies 
about my family, and I read them so as to hear both sides ; it 
would not be long before some suspicion would creep into my 
mind. I said to a man once, " Have you got a wife ? " " Yes. 
and a good one." I asked : " Now, what if I should come to 
you and cast out insinuations against her ? " And he said, 
" Well, your life would not be safe long if you did." I told him 
just to treat the devil as he would treat a man who went round 
with such stories. We are not to blame for having doubts flit- 
ting through our minds, but for harboring them. Let us go 
out trusting the Lord with heart and soul to-day. 

God is Love. 
There are three thoughts I have tried to bring out to-day : 
that God is love ; that His love is unchangeable ; that His love 
is everlasting. The fourth thought is this : that His love is 
unfailing. Your love is not. His is. When people come to 
me and talk about their love for God, it chills me through and 



54-3 MOODY AND SAN KEY IN AMERICA. 

through ; the thermometer goes down fifty degrees ; but when 
they talk about God's love for them, I know what they would 
say. So do not think for a moment that God does not love 
you a good deal more than you love Him. There is not a 
sinner here, there is not an unsaved man here to-night but 
He wants to save, just as a father loves his child, only a thou- 
sand times more. Is there a poor wanderer here that has wan- 
dered far from Christ ? He sends me to invite you to come to 
Him again. I don't care how sinful you are ; let this text sink 
deep into your soul to-day, '-God is love." 

Paul for three years preached upon immediate repentance. 
He besought his hearers with tears, to turn from their sins and 
be saved. "Behold, now is the accepted time." That was 
what he preached. Yes, I leave heaven and earth, and go 
down to the very borders of hell, and will ask them there if it is 
not better to repent now. They would all with one voice 
answer, " Yes, yes, yes." The only time we ever heard from 
that place was to have a young man implore that word might 
be sent to his father's house, that his brothers there might be 
warned against neglecting salvation. Yes, the. lost ones would 
tell you to escape and seek the kingdom of God and be saved. 
Why, then, heaven, earth, and hell all unite in warning you to 
seek the kingdom of God. Why will you not do it, then ? Why 
not accept Christ this very day ? Just think what will become 
of you if you do not. 

When the Lawrence Mills were on fire a number of years ago 
— I don't mean on fire, but when the mill fell in — the great mill 
fell in, and after it had fallen in the ruins caught fire. There 
was only one room left entire, and in it were three Mission Sun- 
day-school children imprisoned. The neighbors and all hands 
got their shovels and picks and crowbars, and were working to 
set the children free. It came on night and they had not yet 
reached the children. When they were near them, by some mis- 
chance a lantern broke, and the ruins caught fire. They tried 
to put it out, but they could not succeed. They could talk to 
the children, and even passed them some hot coffee and some 
refreshments, and encouraged them to keep up. But alas, the 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 549 

flames drew nearer and nearer to this prison. Superhuman 
were the efforts made to rescue the children ; the men bravely 
fought back the flames ; but the fire gained fresh strength and 
returned to claim its victims. Then piercing shrieks arose when 
the spectators saw the efforts of the firemen were hopeless. The 
children saw their fate. They then knelt down and commenced 
to sing the little hymn we have all been taught in our Sunday- 
school days : " Oh ! how sweet- — let others seek a home below 
which flames devour and waves o'erflow." The flames had now 
reached them ; the stifling smoke began to pour into their little 
room, and they began to sink, one by one upon the floor. A few 
moments more and the fire circled around them and their souls 
were taken into the bosom of Christ. Yes, let others seek a 
home below if they will, but seek ye the kingdom of God with 
all your hearts. 

When I was a young man, before I left my native town, I was 
at work in the field one day in company with a man, a neighbor 
of mine. All at once I saw him begin to weep. I asked him 
what the trouble was. He then told me a strange story — strange 
to me then, for I was not at that time a Christian. He said 
that his mother was a Christian when he left home to seek his 
fortune. When he was about starting his mother took him by 
the hand and spoke these parting words. " My son, seek ye 
first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things 
else shall be added unto thee." "This," said he, "was my 
mother's favorite text." When he got into the town to which he 
was going he had to spend the Sabbath there. He went to 
church, and the minister took this very text — " Seek ye first 
the kingdom of God." He thought it very strange. Well, he 
said he would not seek the kingdom then, he would wait until 
he got a start in life — until he got a farm and some money. Yet 
that text troubled him. Again he went to church, and to his 
amazement the sermon was on that very same text. He did 
not attend church for sometime. At last he was induced again 
to enter the church, and behold ! he heard the preacher take 
that very same text. He thought then it was God speaking to 
him ; that his mother's prayers were being answered. But he 



550 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

coolly, calmly, and deliberately made up his mind that he would 
not be a Christian. " I have never heard a sermon that has 
made any impression on me since." I was not a Christian my- 
self, so I didn't know how to talk with him. The time came 
for me to leave home. I went to Boston, and there I became a 
convert. When I got to be a Christian the first thing that came 
into my mind was that man. I made up my mind to try to 
bring him to Christ. When I came home I mentioned the name 
to my mother and asked if he was living. " Is he living ?" she 
exclaimed; "didn't I write to you about him ? " "Write me 
what?" "Why that he had gone out of his mind and is now 
in the insane asylum." When I got up there he pointed his 
finger at me; says he, "Young man, 'seek ye first the Kingdom 
of God.' " He had never forgotten that text. Although his 
mind was shattered and gone, the text was there." 

My friends, do not let that man speak to you. He is gone 
now. How much better it would have been for him to have 
followed his mother's prayer. The Spirit of God may be striv- 
ing with some one to day. I may be standing here for the 
last time. Let me plead with you once more to seek the King- 
dom of God, and seek it with all our hearts. 

Sermon on Daniel. 
Mr. Moody discoursed on "Daniel." He said: The next 
thing that comes before us is that the king is in trouble again. 
He has had another dream. He called in the wise men of 
Babylon and told them what he had dreamt about, but they 
were not able to interpret what it meant. But the prophet is 
brought in, and he at once told him the dream. He says : " Oh 
king, this is your own kingdom. God has made it to extend to 
the four corners of the earth, and now since God has exalted 
you, you have become proud, and have not given Him the 
glory, but if thou wilt humble thyself He may spare thee." Now 
Daniel preached to him a good sermon. It may be he told him 
of Nineveh, and how the Lord had spared it when its people 
repented. We find the king saying, one year afterwards : " Is 
not this the great kingdom I have built up by my power ? " 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 551 

We're told a voice from heaven said : " Oh king, thy glory is 
departed from thee." He left the throne, was driven from 
among men, and dwelt with the beasts of the field. At the end 
of seven times — some think that means seven years — his reason 
returned, and the last glimpse we catch of the mighty monarch 
is in the 4th chapter of Daniel, where he sends out his last 
decree. Now he has got home to himself. The language of 
this touches the king on his throne ; it sounds as if it came 
from a man who has met the God of all grace, and his heart 
has been changed. He says : " Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise 
and honor and extol the King of Heaven." We have very good 
reason to believe that he was a saved man. We have very good 
reason to suppose that Daniel was successful, by his faithfulness, 
in winning him to the God of the Hebrews. For fifteen years 
we lose sight of the mighty prophet. Another takes the throne. 
We do not find out who that second ruler was, but now we find 
Belshazzar, who reigns next, had a feast. There he is, with his 
thousand lords come up from different parts of the empire. 
No doubt he thought, like every sinner, that he was perfectly 
secure. They are praising their gods of silver, gold, and brass. 
While the banquet is going on the king orders the vessels 
that had been taken from the temple to be brought in. All 
at once in that banqueting hall every voice is hushed. The 
king trembles from head to foot. What is the matter ? Every 
eye is directed yonder to the wall. There is seen a handwriting 
there, " Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin." There was not any of 
his wise men could read the writing. No uncircumcised eye 
could read God's writing. Daniel was sent for. With one look 
he can see it without any trouble. It was his father's writing. 
It read,, " Thy kingdom is numbered, thou art weighed in the 
balance and found wanting, thy kingdom is given to the Medes 
and Persians." He thought not that. while this was going on 
the Medes and Persians were already at work — that very night 
they were marching up the streets of Babylon. "They battered 
down the gates of the palace, and soon the king's blood flowed 
with the wine of the banquet. He blazed forth for one single 



552 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

night, and this is the first and the last we ever" hear of him. 
Now Darius the Mede takes the throne. 

We find that Daniel was put over the presidents and made 
the chief man in all the realm. He was put there to see that 
no damage was done to the king. He held the position for a 
long time, but at last there was a conspiracy raised against him. 
No man can be true to God but some one rises up that wants 
him to be got out of the way. If they could only just get one 
of their own number in his place, what would they not gain ? 
After talking it over . they could find no occasion against 
Daniel but touching the love of his God. Oh, thank God for 
such a man. Would to God we had more like him. He had 
put no friends into office that had swindled the government. 
Though he had been Chief Secretary they could find nothing 
against him. At last one of them said : " I have got a plan." 
I can imagine the one hundred and twenty princes all together 
one night and one of them gets up and says : " Do you know 
that this man Daniel won't worship any one but the God of the 
Hebrews ? Now if we could get Darius to sign a decree that 
no man shall be worshiped for thirty days but himself ! Just 
make a lion's den and make it the penalty for any man who 
refuses to obey the decree, and we shall soon get him out of 
the way." But they said : " Look here, this must be a profound 
secret. We must not go out of the Council Chamber to-night 
until we get the king's signature." They very carefully drew 
up the document. Next morning some of them called on the 
king, saying: " O king, live forever. We have been thinking 
how we can increase your popularity, and we've made up our 
minds that if you should sign a decree that not one in your 
empire should worship any God but yourself it would make you 
the most popular monarch that ever ruled." It cannot but 
touch the king's vanity. He liked it very much. They showed 
him the document. "Well," he said, "I can see no objection 
to that. The king takes his signet, down comes the stamp and 
he signs it. As he does so, one of them cries : " The law of 
the Medes and Persians altereth not." There also was a pen- 
alty put in the decree. I can imagine one of Daniel's friends 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 553 

runs and tells him. I can imagine what Christians of the 
present day would say : " Now these men want to plunder the 
government. Hadn't you better go off to some remote part of 
the country for the thirty days ? If you don't they will catch, 
you and throw you into the lions' den." Or, " Daniel, if you: 
pray, dont pray with your window open towards Jerusalem. If 
you will pray, put down the blinds and pray in secret. Put 
something in the keyhole so they can't be peeping in." How 
many men are trying to serve God in that way. How many 
young men I have heard of whom when they hear the footsteps 
of their comrade will at once get off their knees. Do you 
think Daniel is going to turn to the right hand or the left in his 
old days ? Thank God, Daniel had time to pray. If there had 
been a daily prayer-meeting in Babylon he would have attended 
it regularly. Now, these princes watch him. He knelt down 
as aforetime. He prayed that God might direct Darius in the 
affairs of his kingdom, but he didn't pray to Darius. When 
they told the king I can imagine him stretching himself and 
saying, " Who is he ? " " Why, that man you put over us, that 
Hebrew." The king was troubled when he heard it, and set 
his heart for the delivery of his friend Daniel, but the laws 
could not be altered. He and every peasant knew he was 
the best man they had in the whole country. Darius loved 
him very much, but he couldn't save him. He didn't love 
him as much as Jesus loved us. Our Darius died himself 
that the law might be kept. And now, there is the old man 
moving on to that den like a conqueror. He knows if God 
wants him to go to heaven from the den it is all the same. 
These princes thought the lions would make short work of 
him. Ah, down comes an angel and shuts every mouth. I can 
imagine he even uses one as a pillow. He would rather be 
there with a clear conscience than Darius on his throne with a 
guilty one. Now I can hear about daybreak the king's chariot 
going ,over the streets of Babylon. In great haste he comes to 
the den and cries, " O Daniel, is that God whom thou servest 
able to deliver thee from the mouth of the lion ? " " Yes, my 
God is able to deliver me, Darius." He takes him out ; they 



554 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

embrace each other, and I can imagine they breakfast together 
that morning. 

Here Mr. Moody said that the time was up, and he could not 
finish, but merely said that Daniel ever after was greatly be- 
loved. Mr. Sankey closed with the fine song, " Dare to be a 
Daniel." 

Some Expositions. 

Mr. Moody read part of the 12th chapter of Acts, explaining, 
as he read, in his familiar way, which makes a genial story out 
every verse. It was of the deliverance of Peter from the prison 
where he slept between two soldiers and bound with chains. 
And the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in 
the prison, and he smote Peter on the side and raised him, say- 
ing, " Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands." 
" Now, if we had been going to do this thing," Mr. Moody said, 
" we would have crept in there in the dark and loosened the 
chains in all possible silence and slipped out again. But God 
has a light, and walks in, and the chains rattle off on the floor. 
And he saith unto him, cast thy garment about thee and follow 
me. And Peter went out, not wide awake yet, but wide awake 
enough to obey ; that is what God wants. And as Peter knocked 
at the door of the gate a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. 
And when she knew Peter's voice she opened not the gate for 
gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate. 
And they said to her, Thou art mad. The people would not 
believe their prayer was answered, but said, c She don't know ; 
that girl has gone clean mad.' Now if there is any one who 
doubts that our prayers are answered, he is just as guilty as the 
people who would not believe that Peter was knocking at the 
gate. There were more converts in the inquiry room yesterday 
than we could talk to personally, and many, even the very ones 
we pray for, are constantly coming in. God only can tell how 
much good this movement may do, but I feel as if we had 
already done more than we expected. Let us give thanks to 
Him. Our prayers have indeed been answered." 

One of the clergymen spoke of the work in the Ninth ward, 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 555 

where meetings are constantly held for the multitudes who never 
go to church, and where many have been brought to Christ. 
A gentleman from Brooklyn was called from the audience to tell 
of the work in his church there. li A small stream, but ever 
flowing," he said. The Rev. Dr. Kennard said that when Mr. 
Moody asked him if he had any good news, he felt like saying 
as Wesley did, "God is with us." The meeting closed with a 
few moments of silent prayer and the doxology. 

While Mr. Moody exhorts, in his plain and general* way, 
the people who flock to the revival meetings, the work there 
does not include all that is being done. That is the great cen- 
tre ; but many other clergymen of the city and throughout the 
country, feeling the impulse, carry the same spirit to their own 
churches, where it reaches the more critical classes, who rarely 
or never go to the Hippodrome. 

I want to speak of the seven different characters in John, and 
how Christ dealt with them. 

Suppose we could divide up these sinners here under these 
seven heads. Turn to the 7th chapter of John and see how 
Christ dealt with that respectable sinner Nicodemus. He set 
him aside entirely. He did not put a new piece into the old 
garment ; the Lord does not patch a man's coat. He gives him 
a new coat throughout. He told Nicodemus he must be born 
again. In the 4th chapter see how Christ deals with one who 
has fallen. She is very unrespectable, but He gives her the 
water of life. We cannot find any class of people in New York 
that has not its representative in the Bible and Christ's dealings 
with them. A nobleman came to Him, whose child was ill. 
He told him to go home, his child would live ; He did not give 
the nobleman any medicine for his child, but the man took His 
word, and when he got home he found his child was nearly well, 
and that it was better from the seventh hour, when he had 
spoken to Christ. If some poor tramp is here to-night who has 
not got any friends or anywhere to lay his head to-night, a poor 
miserable sinner, if he will turn to the 5th chapter of John he 
will know how Christ will deal with him. There was just such 
a poor beggar at the pool. Christ asked him if he would like to 



556 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

touch the waters ; he said, " I would like to be put in, but I 
haven't any one to help me ; I am lame ;" and the Lord said, 
" Take up thy bed and walk." He cured him by a word. I 
can imagine in the gallery there is a man who says : " I wish 
there was some class in the Bible that represented me. I have 
broken the law. If the law should get hold of me I would have 
to go to prison for twenty years ; the police do not know ; I have 
covered up my sin. I wish there was something in the Bible for 
me." Well, there is ; there is. Turn to the 8th chapter of 
John. You will see how Christ dealt with a woman whom the 
law would have stoned to death. They dragged her into the 
presence of Christ, saying, " The law of Moses says, * Stone her 
to death ■' what sayst thou ? " He stooped and wrote on the 
ground as if he paid no attention ; then he raised up and said, 
" He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone," 
and he went on writing on the ground. When he looked up 
again the crowd had disappeared. He said, " Where are thy 
accusers? Go thou and sin no more." If you want to know how 
Christ dealt with sinners, go to the Bible. There is no sinner 
here who has not his representative in the Bible. 

About bringing your Bibles with you — just have a Bible you 
can mark. If I should go and hear one of my friends preach, 
and he unfolded some grand and glorious truth, I would put a 
few words down upon the margin of the Bible that would just 
give me the key to the whole, and I would not forget it. By 
doing this, when you heard a good sermon you could go and 
preach it to other people. I hope the day will come when if a 
man hears a good sermon in the morning, he will be so full of 
it he will have to go and preach it over again in some locality 
where they have not heard it. If the lawyers and merchants 
would only do that they would make better missionaries than 
the hired ones. I think more of this Bible in my hand than of 
all the other Bibles in New York. If I had come without this 
Bible I would have been lonesome. I have carried it so long I 
have got used to it. Buy a good Bible, one that won't wear out, 
with a good flexible cover that will fold around you. Button 
up your coat over it and keep it close to your heart. You can 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 557 

mark your texts in it and know where to look for them at any 
time, and they will be glad to see you in any prayer-meeting. 
There will be something fresh about you that will make you al- 
ways welcome. 

An Englishman said to me, " Did you ever study the book of 
Job?" "No," I said, "not particularly." "You ought to," said 
he ; " it is a wonderful book ; if you get the key to that, you get 
the key to the whole Bible." " That is singular," said I. " I 
thought Job was more of a poetical book ; how do you make it 
out?" He said the first division represents Adam in Eden, a 
perfect man untried; the second head represents his fall ; the 
third says, "The wisdom of the world came to restore Job." 
"You cannot," he said, "find any wisdom in all the books 
equal to the wisdom of those three men, but they could not help 
Job out of his difficulty. Just so is the world trying to put 
Adam back again ; they try to amend him but they cannot do 
it. Your philosophers cannot restore Adam to his original per- 
fection. What can the geologist tell you about the Rock of 
Ages ? What can the astronomer tell you of the Bright and 
Morning Star ? The fact is Job could not stand their treat- 
ment. He could stand his boils and his scolding wife, but 
he could not stand the way the wise men treated him. The 
fourth head is about Elihu ; he came and brought grace 
and that is what Job wanted. He did not want law ; Job was 
a righteous man in his own conceit up to this time. He said 
I have fed the hungry, I have clothed the naked, I did this and 
that — I ! I ! I ! — that was Job's cry then. He was a great man ; 
if we had him now we would make him a leader in some Pres- 
byterian church and be glad to get him. Under the fifth head 
God speaks. He says, " Gird up your loins like a man. I will 
put a few questions to you." The moment Job got a glimpse 
of God he was a different man • his self-righteousness was gone. 
When I go into the inquiry rooms some days some have their 
heads down on their hands, and I cannot get a word out of 
them. I say to myself such persons are near to God. But some 
are flippant and glib, and say why does God do this and why 
does God do that ? God alone restores Adam to his lost state 



558 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

and in his restoration he is better than he was at the beginning, 
because his last state is eternal. When he is restored to heaven 
there is no more banishment. 

In this last chapter I have read what the Lord tells us to do 
with our children : We are to teach them diligently with line 
upon line, here a little and there a little. I have no doubt 
some parents have got discouraged and disheartened that they 
have not seen their children brought to the Saviour as early as 
they expected. I do not know anything that has encouraged 
me more in laboring for my children than my experience in the 
inquiry room. In working there I have found that those who 
had religious training, whose parents strove early to lead them 
to Christ, have been the easiest to lead toward Him. I always 
feel as if I had a lever to work with when I know that a man 
has been taught by a godly father and mother ; even if his 
parents died when he was young, the impression that they died 
praying for him has always a great effect through life. I find 
that such men are always so much easier reached, and though 
we may not live to see all our prayers answered, and all our 
children brought into the fold, yet we should teach them dili- 
gently, and do it in love. There is where a good many make 
a mistake, by not teaching their children in love — by doing it 
coldly or harshly. Many send them off to read the Bible by 
themselves for punishment. Why I would put my hand in the 
fire before I would try to teach them in that way. If we teach 
our children as we ought to do, instead of Sunday being the 
dreariest, dullest, tiresomest day of the week to them, it will be 
the brightest, happiest day of the whole seven. What we want 
to do is to put religious truths before our children in such an 
attractive form that the Bible will be the most attractive of 
books to them. Children want the same kind of food and truth 
that we do, only we must cut it up a little finer, so that they 
can eat it. I have great respect for a father and mother who 
have brought up a large family and trained them so they have 
come out on the- Lord's side. Sometimes mothers are discour- 
aged and do not think they have so large a sphere to do good 
in as we have, but a mother who has brought up a large family 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 559 

to Christ need not consider her life a failure. I know one 
who has brought up ten sons all Christians ; do you think her 
life has been a failure ? Let us teach our' children diligently, 
in season and out of season. We might train them that they shall 
be converted so early they can't tell when they were converted. I 
do not believe as some people seem to think, that they have got 
to wander off into sin first, so that they may be brought back to 
Christ. Those who have been brought up in that way from 
their earliest childhood do not have to spend their whole life in 
forgetting some old habit. Let us be encouraged in bringing 
our children to Christ. 

Rev. Mr. MacArthur cited the causes of many eminent men 
who had all been converted at a very early age. It is wrong 
to suppose, he said, that a child must commit some sin before 
it can be converted. Sins may be forgiven, but with reverence 
be it said, not even the blood of Christ can blot out the memory 
of them. What is wanted is to bring the children into the fold 
before their hearts have' become scarred and stained with sin. 
" Sowing wild oats " is a very foolish phrase, for " what a man 
sows that shall he also reap." Mr. MacArthur closed an elo- 
quent address by relating several incidents illustrative of his 
remarks. He was followed by the Rev. Dr. Rodgers and Mr. 
Sankey, both of whom told several anecdotes of parents who had 
been converted through the agency of their children. 

Mr. Sankey followed up his remarks by singing the favorite 
hymn "Waiting and watching for Me." As nearly always hap- 
pens, it affected many in the congregation to tears. 

Mr. Moody then added a few more anecdotes illustrative of 
the power and efficacy of children's prayers, after which the 
benediction was pronounced and the meeting closed. The 
usual after meetings for women and men were well attended. 

The young men's meeting took the form of an experience 
meeting, many of the young converts testifying that the yoke 
they had taken upon them was indeed easy and the burden 
light, and urging those who were still far from God to accept 
the salvation' so freely offered. 

The boys' meeting, which is one of the most promising features 



560 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

of the revival work, was well attended. About one hundred boys 
were present, many of them testifying that they had found joy 
and peace in believing, and that the same Jesus that had saved 
them from their sins was also able to keep all those who put 
their trust in Him. Parents should encourage their boys to at- 
tend this meeting that they may, in the morning of their days, be 
brought to the knowledge and love of Him who while on earth 
said, " Suffer little children to come unto Me," and who will be 
a true friend and guide to them in their struggles through life. 

The women's meeting was held after the close of the prayer- 
meeting. About two thousand ladies were present. 

The audience that gathered at the Hippodrome was even lar- 
ger than that of any previous evening. Five minutes after the 
doors were opened every seat in the body and side galleries of 
the large hall was occupied. The building filled so rapidly that 
Mr. Moody had to request all who were Christians and all the 
young converts to retire to the Fourth avenue hall to a prayer- 
meeting to be held there, in order to make room for the crowds 
waiting outside. Among the prominent persons upon the plat- 
form were ex- Vice-President Colfax, Mayor Wickham and Mr. 
Thurlow Weed. At a quarter to eight Mr. Sankey opened the 
services by singing " Hold the Fort, 1 ' the congregation joining 
heartily in the chorus. 

At the close of his sermon Mr. Moody said he thought the 
genuine Christians would have to stay away from the next meeting 
in order to make room for those who needed the sermon more. 
People do not often need to be requested to stay away from re- 
ligious services, but it is only by such arrangements as this, that 
all who wish to go to the Hippodrome in the afternoon can pro- 
cure the necessary tickets. U many felt sure enough of them- 
selves as Christians to remain at home, it was not evident in the 
house, which was crowded. Mr. Sankey gave a short and very 
interesting address on sacred song. When in London he heard 
Mr. Spurgeon say that he never knew a true revival of religion 
unaccompanied by sacred song. He was very glad there was 
such a revival of song in this country, that the songs they now 
sang were known and sung all over the country. It is said of 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 561 

the English lark that it never sings as it descends, but always as 
it rises from the fields toward heaven it sings its sweetest notes. 
When it returns again to the earth the singing ceases. That is 
a picture of the church ; as the tide rises higher and higher she 
sings more sweetly. So it was with God's people, as we 
read in Old Testament history. When stopping near Berne, 
Switzerland, with a friend, enjoying a rest after two years of 
labor in England, he was about to retire to rest one evening 
when he heard in the French language the hymn, " Safe in the 
arms of Jesus," sung by about one hundred beautiful voices. 
He went out to speak with them, and they had there a most 
blessed service of song, in which some of Luther's beautiful 
hymns were sung. Among the gentlemen who took part in the 
exercises there was a general and hearty expression of thanks 
to the conductors of the St. Patrick's day procession, whose 
route passed the Hippodrome. Fearing that the afternoon's 
service would be disturbed by the music of the bands as they 
marched past, the Committee of Management sent a request to 
the Grand Marshal asking that the music should cease while 
near the Hippodrome. This was at once granted and orders 
transmitted to the several divisions, in response to which the 
whole vast procession walked silently from Thirty-fourth street 
to Twenty-third, so that not the slightest disturbance resulted 
to the meeting while the long line of Irishmen passed the build- 
ing. The committee were very earnest in grateful acknowledg- 
ment of the alacrity with which their wishes were complied with 
in this matter. 

The Christian Convention. 

In response to invitations published by brethren in New York, 
several thousand delegates from various parts of the land as- 
sembled at the Hippodrome on the twenty-ninth of March, for 
a two day's meeting. After an address by Mr. Moody, he 
was then questioned by delegates in all parts of the house, as 
follows : 

Q. What is your opinion about the time for holding revival 
services ? 



562 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

A. God is always ready for them ; just as ready in August as 
in January. A good many people fail because they are waiting 
for a set time to favor Zion. This idea that we have got but a 
few months in the year to work is a false one. 

Q. How about increasing the number of meetings ? 

A. It depends on the number we now carry on. If I had 
enough meetings on hand, I would not be inclined to increase 
them. 

Q. What should a minister do if his church is in a cold con- 
dition, and he himself is interested ? Would you commence an 
effort by calling in outside help ? 

A. Now that is a very important question. If I was a min- 
ister in a community and could not get more than one or two 
to sympathize with me, I would just get those two round to my 
study and pray with them, and we should go forth and have a 
meeting. If one man can beat a thousand, two can beat two 
thousand. Just get as many as you can to help you. 

Q. Suppose a congregation were alive and the minister dead ? 

A. Then let the congregation go on w-ithout the minister. 

Q. Suppose he opposes it ? 

A. He cannot prevent them ; they can get up some hall, of 
they can go into the streets and preach. A man who wants to 
work for God can find work, and nobody can stop him. 

Q. Suppose there are difficulties in the church that can't be 
removed ? 

A. I don't know of any difficulties that God cannot remove. 
The trouble is we try to do these things, instead of going to God 
in prayer. 

Q. Did not Christ Himself encounter difficulty when preach- 
ing in Nazareth ? 

A. Ah, but Nazareth, that was the world and not the church. 
If the church was in the condition Nazareth was in, do as the 
Saviour did, go down to another town. 

Q. Is it best to put a test question, to ask those who are anx- 
ious to rise or go into the inquiry-room? 

A. I think it is best to have a test. If any man is going to 
be saved he has got to take up his cross. If it was not a cross 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 563 

T would not like to ask them to do it. Get them to take the 
first step. In the very act of their going into the inquiry-room 
they are very often blessed. In standing up they let their friends 
know they are interested and want to be on the Lord's side. It 
is a great help to have an inquiry-meeting. I don't think I'd 
care to have meetings without them. People are impressed 
under the sermon, but what you want is to tell them personally 
about Christ. Where one is converted under the sermon, hun- 
dreds are converted in the inquiry-room. 

Q. Suppose the pastor and a small portion of the congrega- 
tion wish to hold evangelistic meetings, and the trustees refuse 
to open the doors ? 

A. Well I should pray for the trustees. In the first place the 
church made a mistake in electing unconverted men to be trus- 
tees. They regulate your choirs, and very often the minister, 
and if they get a minister who will preach right at them they 
will force him to leave. 

Q. In a community where there is a very interesting revival, 
and very many families do. not attend any church, what would 
you have the laymen try to do ? 

A. I'd have the whole town districted off, and every family 
visited. I think that could be done. When there is a special 
interest in a town, it is a harvest time, and most people will be 
glad to have some one to come and speak to them. 

Q. Do you advocate anxious seats ? 

A. I'd rather call them seats of decision, but in union meet- 
ings we have to lay aside a good many denominational peculiar- 
ities. Anxious seats are well known among the Methodists, 
but Presbyterians and Episcopalians would not like them. 

Q. What would you say to an inquirer who says he could be 
a Christian without going into the inquiry-room ? 

A. I would say most certainly he could, but as a general thing 
he won't. The battle is on that one word, the " will." Man # 
has to give up his will, and be willing to do anything before he 
can get into God's kingdom. 

Q. What method would you recommend to get people on to 
their feet to testify for Christ ? 



564 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

A. The first thing, I would bury all stiffness. It depends a 
good deal on the way the meeting is opened. If it is a stiff, 
formal meeting, it would take an earthquake to get a man to 
stand up. Be free and social, as if you were in a man's house 
w r hom you knew very well. Get them to give out the hymn, 
and then in an off-hand way say a few words, so as to give the 
key-note to the meeting — " Now, if any of you like to testify, I 
would like to have you do it." At last Monday's meeting I 
said to the young converts, " You that owe most to God, rise." 
Forthwith three or four rose together. In the course of an 
hour and twenty minutes, one hundred and fifty spoke, and I 
had to close while three or four were on their legs. 

Q. When one or more leading members of a church have so 
borne themselves in the community that the church is scandal- 
ized, what would you do ? Is it best to have a little church 
discipline, before you commence special meetings ? 

A. I should say certainly. The friends should go into the 
eighteenth chapter of Matthew, and do what they are taught to 
do there, and if those men don't repent, turn them out of the 
church. Then commence the work, and God will bless it. It 
is a good deal better to have ten men in the church right, than 
to have five hundred at whom the world will laugh. 

Q. How if they are the stronger party ? 

A. Why, if the world is stronger than the church, organize 
another church. You see the mistake is in taking unconverted 
people into the church. We have got to be more careful when 
we do get people into the church to feed them on the Word of God. 

Q. Where some persons oppose new methods and forms, 
what would you do ? 

A. The great trouble is, people make a mistake in the way 
they introduce them. I have known ministers who asked some 
of the members if such a thing was not the best plan. It 
would be a good deal better to go on and say nothing about it, 
and they won't know it is an innovation at all. 

Q. In conducting a series of special meetings, would you have 
a regular line of connected thought running towards a certain 
point, to guide you ? 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 565 

A. I'd just preach to get people into the inquiry-room, to 
produce conviction. Any sermon that would produce that is 
the sermon I would want to preach. 

Q. Sometimes there is excitement in a community, suppose, 
political ; can two leading questions occupy the minds of the 
community at one time? 

A. The political question might interest the world. The 
thing I dread more than politics, however, is these miserable 
church fairs. That bothers me most. More meetings have 
been broken up by bazaars, church fairs and festivals than all 
your political meetings. 

Q. How far is it best to encourage young converts to labor 
with inquirers in the inquiry-meeting ? 

A. I have always encouraged it. I believe a man that has 
been a great drunkard is just the man to go and work among 
his own class. Here is my friend Mr. Dodge, who is a great 
temperance man, and he can't be expected to thoroughly sym- 
pathize with the drunkard. 

Q. Is the young convert wise enough to lead an inquirer to 
Christ ; is there not danger of his misleading him ? 

A. My experience is the reverse. A young convert who has 
been over the road himself can explain to a man of the same 
class how he did it. One who has been an infidel can tell an 
infidel how he got over infidelity himself. A reformed drunkard 
can tell another drunkard how he has has got over his appetite. 
A man in Philadelphia brought to Christ between fifteen and 
twenty of his friends, and if some ministers and workers had re- 
fused to let him work there would not have been that result. 

Q. What about boys and girls ? How would you use them ? 

A. You have to use a good deal of discretion about children. 
There is great danger in having them take an active part. A 
good many persons in the church have so little sense that they 
begin to praise a boy and give him spiritual pride. 

Q. What is your opinion about women in the pulpit or other- 
wise ? 

A. That is a controverted point and we will leave it. I don't 
care about my wife going to preach. 



566 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Mr. Moody then spoke on the topic, " How to conduct "prayer- 
meetings." He said : I think this is one of the most important 
questions which can come before us. I believe more ministers 
fail right here than in any other place. Where one fails in a 
pulpit I believe fifty fail in the prayer-meeting. I have noticed 
as I have been traveling up and down the country and mingling 
with a great many ministers, that it is not the man that preaches 
the best that is the most successful. You must get the people 
to pray. It is so much easier to preach for an audience who 
are praying for you than to those who are just criticising you all 
the while. Now I find a great help in a prayer-meeting to get 
the people up close together ; if they won't come I would take 
the chair and walk down amongst them. Then another impor- 
tant thing is to see that the ventilation is all right. A good 
many meetings are held in basements and small rooms, where 
the windows, perhaps, won't be opened through the winter; 
where people get sleepy, and you think it is your fault. See 
that it is not too hot or too cold, and that the air is pure. It is 
a good thing to have a subject, suppose " faith " or " love," and 
let people know it a week before. Let the minister not always 
lead, for then when he goes off there is a collapse. If he man- 
ages right, it seems to me he would get different leaders, so that 
when he goes off there will be no falling away. Not only that, 
but he should teach his members to work. Now, a great many 
can be brought out and made a great help to the church if the 
minister would only give a little attention to it. You may ask 
what are we going to do with the men who talk so long. Weil, 
I would see them privately, and say, "Now, try to be a little 
shorter." It would be a good thing, however, if the ministers 
would show a good example. They very often leave just fifteen 
minutes for the meeting, and complain of Deacon Jones taking 
up the rest of the time. They say everything they can think of 
in the chapter, and wonder why "the poor laymen won't take it 
up." Why, if they say everything they can think of on a cer- 
tain chapter, there is not much chance for a poor layman, espe- 
cially if he don't know what the chapter is to be. If a man takes 
part in a meeting he has got a little more interest in it. There 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 567 

is a good deal of truth in what the old deacon said, that he 
always liked the meeting when he took part, and he didn't care 
for it when he didn't take part. The following queries and an- 
swers were then given : 

Q. If only two or three brethren and twenty or thirty sisters 
attend, how are you going to carry on a prayer-meeting ? 

A. I should call it a woman's meeting, and have them take part. 

Q. What should be the main purpose of a prayer-meeting ? 
Is it for the conversion of sinners or the edification of saints ? 

A. I should say it should be for the edification of saints, and 
devotion, and praying for the members who may be in affliction 
or trouble. 

Q. If some of the brethren get up and clap their hands, would 
you stop them ? 

A. Well, that is a controverted point. I won't answer it. 

Q. In every church would you have an inquiry-meeting after 
every meeting ? 

A. If in the prayer-meeting, there should be a number of 
unconverted, I would have it a sort of Gospel-meeting, and so 
draw the net every night. I have an idea that a Gospel-meet- 
ing and a prayer-meeting are quite different. There ought to 
be separate meetings for the unsaved. 

Q. Would you have an inquiry-meeting after every preaching 
service ? 

A. If I were to work with the Christians trying to build them 
up, I would have no inquiry-meeting. If I were to preach the 
Gospel, I would have an inquiry-meeting. 

Q. Is it profitable to have preaching services every Sunday 
night for the unconverted ? 

A. Yes, and every night sometimes. My idea of church ser- 
vice is this : when we do have the breaking of bread we have 
worship. Some churches have it once a month, some every 
Sunday morning. If on every Sunday morning, people who go 
will know the meeting is for the edification of saints, and the 
evening service may be for those who are not Christians. 

A delegate observed that the Congregational churches in 
New England had a rule that the minister should lead the 



568 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

prayer-meetings, for this reason : that it was found when minis- 
ters took the place of laymen in this matter, the latter took the 
leadership out of his hands. He asked Mr. Moody what he 
would do in order to prevent that. Mr. Moody replied that 
this was not his experience on the subject. Dr. Kirk, of Bos- 
ton, of whose church he was a member twenty years ago, very 
seldom led the meeting ; neither did Dr. Cuyler usually lead in 
his own church prayer-meeting in Brooklyn. 

A delegate, Mr. Gurney Burchard, a deacon of Lafayette 
Avenue Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, corroborated Mr. 
Moody's statement with respect to Dr. Cuyler, asserting that 
Dr. Cuyler never leads his prayer-meeting. The queries and 
answers were then continued. 

Q. Should there be a separate organization for united prayer 
and united work ? 

A. If they get to pray well, they will get to work well. 

Q. Ought the minister to call on people to pray and speak ? 

A. My theory is one thing and my practice another. I have 
always advocated open prayer- meetings, but very often people 
get up whom we know nothing about, and talk too long, so I 
have lately had to put the meeting in the hands of those on the 
platform. Still I stick to my theory that it is better to have an 
open meeting. If men would persist in ruining the meeting I 
would have to talk to them personally, and try to keep them still. 

Q. Is it right to call on a man to pray when he is not in the 
spirit of prayer ? 

A. He should be in the spirit of prayer ; but that is one of 
the things which makes me object to calling on men to pray. 
Very often they are called on when they are not in communion, 
and that is not prayer at all. 

Q. What would you do with a brother who prays the same 
prayer over and over ? 

A. I should see him privately and talk to him about his own 
soul. Very often you find that these men are out of communion 
with God and are merely trying to keep up the form. 

Q. What would you do with a man in the church who was 
told a hundred times to cut short and he didn't obey ? 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 569 

A. Have a bell. 

Q. Suppose you drive him away ? 

A. Let him go. Five will come and take his place. 

Q. Is it wise to adhere to a series of topics ? 

A. If it is in the way throw it overboard ; don't have a cast- 
iron rule. 

Q. Should boys lead boys' prayer-meetings ? 

A. If a judicious person is there to guide them. 

Q. Would it be well to make the Sunday-school lesson the 
subject for the prayer-meeting? 

A. If you have teachers' meetings, better not. If you have 
not teachers' meetings, I have known it to work pretty well. 

Q. Shall the women take part in our church prayer-meetings ? 

A. It is a controverted point. Let every prayer-meeting 
have its own way. 

Q. What about ringing the bell when a man is praying? 

A. If the prayer don't go any further than his own head I 
would have no scruple in ringing the bell. 

Q. In the time of special interest in the church, would you 
multiply the preaching services or the prayer-meetings ? 

A. I think I'd do both. 

Q. What would you do with a man about whose character 
you had a doubt, and yet who prayed in every meeting ? 

A. I would go to him faithfully and labor with him. If I 
thought he was wrong with God I would tell him so. I think 
we make a great mistake by not being faithful to such men. 

Q. What should be a man's posture when praying ? 

A. I don't know. I don't think it makes any difference if 
his heart only bows before God. There are times, I believe, 
when a man should be on his face. We should be very chari- 
table to those who don't do as we do. That is all of man, not 
of God. 

Q. Well, if people are in an upright position? 

A. I'd leave it with them. 

Q. What does the Scripture teach women should do in a 
prayer-meeting ? 

A. It teaches they should pray like the rest. However, this 



57© MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

is a controverted subject, and all controverted points should be 
left out in a union meeting. There are some men who would 
break up every union meeting. They have got one horse and 
they always trot him out on all occasions. Sometimes it is 
tobacco ; he says that no man ought to smoke or chew. 
Another time it is temperance. You know very well our Pres- 
byterian brethren object to women speaking. They are here 
on this platform with us, and if we talk on this subject they 
will take up their hats and go out. We want to keep out things 
which we know are controverted. 

The delegate continued to press Mr. Moody on the subject, 
but he replied, " You call a convention on the subject ; we have 
not called one to discuss that." 

The subject of the first hour was : "Inquiry-meetings: how 
can they become part of the service in our churches ? " and 
promptly at the hour Mr. Moody commenced the proceedings, 
every seat in the large hall being then occupied, while num- 
bers of persons were still seeking admission to the convention 
who could not be accommodated. Before the opening of the 
session the choir sang, " I hear Thy gentle voice," and the 
audience (more than half being male voices) joined with grand 
effect in the chorus. It was such an outburst of congregational 
psalmody as many of the delegates had never before heard or 
joined in. They will long remember it, and many will sing with 
more enthusiasm when they return to their country and city 
homes for having joined in the soul-stirring services of song of 
this convention. 

Rev. Dr. Fish, of Newark, N. J., at the call of Moody, made 
the opening address on the subject of the hour. He said : I 
do not know why I have been selected by Mr. Moody to open 
this discussion except it be from the fact that I have long been 
connected with inquiry-meetings, and that of the one thousand 
two hundred conversions that have taken place in connection 
with my ministry of the last twenty-five years, almost the whole 
of that number have come into the light of the Gospel through 
the agency of such meetings. I feel that the great part of my 
ministry has been wasted for lack of this very agency ; and 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 57 1 

I have now resolved that no service shall pass except under 
very extraordinary circumstances, which shall not be followed 
by an inquiry-meeting. Standing by the Sea of Galilee, on one 
occasion, and seeing its waters teeming with fish, I remembered 
what Christ said to his disciples on that very lake : " I will 
make you fishers of men ; " and coming back to my church, I 
told them the inquiry-meeting is the best place to " catch souls ; " 
and that ought to be the one object of our preaching services. 
Since the beginning of January I have been almost constantly 
in the inquiry-rooms, and have seen from two to three hundred 
persons — perhaps four or five hundred — converted there. One 
great advantage gained by these meetings is that the pastor has 
an opportunity of becoming personally acquainted with 
young converts and inquirers ; and it is no small thing to do 
that, because we will then be better prepared to give the right 
kind of instruction and counsel. As to the methods to be adopt- 
ed for making these meetings a part of the services of our 
churches, I have adopted the plan of making the evening serv- 
ice short, bringing it to a close by half-past eight. I refer to 
the evening service because that is the time when the sermons 
are especially with a view to reaching the unconverted. As soon 
as the sermon is concluded I send half a dozen persons down 
into the church parlors to sing ; and half a dozen more to make 
themselves polite, and see that strangers are given an invitation 
to come in. It is most important that stiffness and formality 
should be -abolished, and that all should get the idea that the 
inquiry-room is a place where the utmost friendship and home- 
feeling is cultivated. In ten minutes after the meeting is begun 
we usually settle down to work, those who are unable to do any- 
thing else helping in the singing. About ten or twenty persons 
sit down to converse with the inquirers, and in this way five or 
six hundred souls have been brought to accept Christ. It is 
necessary, moreover, that the preaching should be of such a 
character as to awaken inquiry, in order that these meetings 
should be successful. Strike while the iron is hot, but take care 
that the iron shall become hot by striking. Make your sermon 
full of Christ and His love, and of the great truths of the Gos- 



572 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

pel, and then you will always have inquirers seeking the way of 
salvation. 

Mr. Moody called upon Rev. Dr. Robert Booth to speak on 
the same subject for five minutes. 

Dr. Booth said, I do not know of any special reason why I 
should speak in regard to inquiry-meetings, but I have made up 
my mind whenever Mr. Moody called upon me that the best 
way is to respond. I take it that there is no question as to the 
advisability and necessity of inquiry-meetings. The question 
is, " How shall we put the inquiry after the Sabbath service ? " 
On one occasion Brother Sankey called upon me to " draw the 
net." I did so, and two young ladies who were among the num- 
ber who* responded I became greatly interested in. The next 
Sabbath morning I preached a sermon in my church setting 
forth that conversion might be immediate, and invited persons 
to come to the inquiry-room. That was the first time it had 
ever been done in my staid church and my sober ministry. Ten 
came in, and among them a young man who had been long a 
member of my congregation, and one of the ladies whom I had 
met a few evenings before. That first inquiry-meeting in my 
church resulted in conversions, and it was a great satisfaction to 
me that I had made the attempt. The question to my mind is, 
" Have we not to revolutionize the whole system of preaching ? " 
We thought we were all dead in New York, frozen and crystalized. 
But see what has been the result of plain gospel preaching. 
Why, I believe that if this could go on for six months our police 
could be disbanded, and we could hold New York for God. Are 
we not guilty, brethren, in that we have not preached as we 
ought to have done ? Oh, let us preach the old gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ and expect to see results. 

Mr. Moody — Now let us, in harmony with what Dr. Booth 
has said, sing two verses of " I love to tell the story,'' and while 
we are doing so let the doors be opened. Then the Rev. Mr. 
Lloyd will speak. 

Rev. Mr. Lloyd alluded to a remark of the preceding speaker, 
in which he said : " May the Lord burn up our old sermons, 
and help us to preach better than we have ever done before." 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 573 

Mr. Lloyd said he would trust the stove to burn up a good many 
of his old sermons, as it had already done. In a thieves' kitchen 
den, in the lowest part of London, said he, I once paid a visit, 
and asked the crowd of rough and low characters that were as- 
sembled if I might sing them a hymn, and they gave their con- 
sent, and then I told them a story — the story of the Prodigal 
Son, as related in the Gospel. Before I got through many were 
touched, and in that thieves' kitchen I held an inquiry-meeting 
right away. Since then, in my own church, I have tried to give 
opportunity for an inquiry-meeting at the close of every service, 
and almost always with good results. We must get rid of the 
idea that revivals of religion must necessarily be periodical. 
We must get away from this vacating for two months in summer 
and idling away another two months, and then pitching at a 
wonderful rate for the remainder of the time. I like better the 
Scriptural plan, for in the days of the early church " there were 
" added unto the church daily such as should be saved." Every 
religious service was an inquiry-meeting in those days ; and the 
same thing was characteristic of the Reformation and of the 
work of the Scottish Reformers. In the Methodist church we 
have the advantage for we have the altar as well as ' the inquiry- 
room. Both have their uses, and some prefer the altar while 
others are attracted to the inquiry-room. The only way in which 
the inquiry-meetings can be connected with the regular services of 
the church is to make them a part of the regular order of ser- 
vice, and the sooner that is done the better. 

Mr. Sturges, a layman, of Boston, was next called upon by 
Mr. Moody. He said that the first inquiry-meeting he ever at- 
tended was at the Victoria theatre in London, and there the plan 
adopted was one which he thought might with advantage be 
copied here. When the preaching was over, various ministers 
and laymen went among the audience, and sat down here and 
there to talk with those who had been moved upon by the Holy 
Spirit. He believed that this personal contact and invitation 
was most important; indeed, without it he thought but very few 
were brought to the Saviour. The inquiry-room, continued Mr. 
Sturges, is wherever you get an individual soul to speak with 



574 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

about salvation. As to the method of doing it, I know of only- 
one way of reaching a soul, namely, through the Holy Spirit, and 
I know of no way in which the Holy Spirit works but by the 
Word of God. Therefore, be able to quote the exact words of 
Scripture, or better still, read them direct from the Bible, for 
there is a mighty power in getting the Word direct from its 
source. Be ready to turn to the Bible and give counsel from 
its pages ; and then the Word of God will be carried to the 
heart with power. 

Rev. Mr. Osborne said : It may be a mistake if we regu- 
larly make inquiry-meetings a part of the Sabbath service ; it 
may be best to have them on Sabbath evening or at some other 
time. How can they become part of our church services ? I 
answer, first, not until we ourselves believe in the inquiry-meet- 
ing. We must believe that the Gospel, when preached, has 
power to bring a soul to God ; we must believe in immediate 
conversion of souls. Then, in the second place, we must be- 
lieve that successful preaching is not the exclusive work of a 
few men. In the early history of Christianity the converts 
" went everywhere preaching the Gospel ; "and we must believe 
in the personal responsibility of every Christian. Then we 
must plan for these inquiry-meetings. When these three things 
are done great blessings will be sure to follow. 

Mr. Moody wound up the hour's debate with a brief address. 
He said if the ministers could encourage their members to scat- 
ter themselves amongst the audience to watch for souls, great 
good would result. Two persons in a town in Scotland, finding 
that the church was cold and indifferent, adopted the plan of 
speaking to the people as they were leaving after service, and 
thus were the means of bringing many souls to Christ. Indeed 
most of the conversions in that church were through their instru- 
mentality. Let the Christian men and women clinch the nail 
which the minister drives home in his sermon, by getting into 
conversation with those who are anxious and inquiring. Stran- 
gers like to be spoken to, and will generally be glad to be invited 
to stay to prayer-meeting. Perhaps we had better call it a 
prayer-meeting. Two young men came into our meeting a few 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 575 

nights back, and said they had been attending a certain church 
in this city. We said they had better go and tell the minister 
they had found Christ; they said, "No. We have been there 
the last six years, and nobody ever spoke to us ; we don't want 
to go there again." A minister preached a sermon once on the 
recognition of friends in heaven, and after he had done some 
one said, " I wish now he would preach about recognition of 
friends on earth, for nobody has ever spoken to me." I was 
preaching in an old circus building in a town in England, and 
noticed that after the service a number of young men were talk- 
ing to persons at different parts of the building. The secretary 
of the Young Men's Christian Association told me they were his 
band of workers, and I found that forty- one out of the fifty 
young men had got into conversation with persons about the 
conversion of their souls. An old Scotch clergyman objected 
to inquiry-meetings, because they disturbed the seed, and said : 
" When a farmer has sown the seed he does not take it up again 
to see if it is growing." "No," said some one in reply, "but 
there is one thing the farmer does, though ; he harrows in the 
seed ; " and that is just what is the effect of religious conversa- 
tion in the inquiry-room after the regular preaching service. 

Mr. Sankey sang "Waiting and Watching," and the hour was 
closed with a minute of silent prayer, followed by a petition 
offered by Rev. Dr. Plummer, of South Carolina. 

The subject of the second hour was " The training of young 
converts and lay teachers," opened by the Rev. S. H. Tyng, Jr., 
who delivered a very forcible address. He said the present 
Laodicean state of the Church was greatly due to the neglect 
of proper training for the young converts of the last ten years. 
Very much dishonor is done to the Holy Ghost when the ques- 
tion is asked, " Do you think these young converts are going 
to hold out? " and if they fall back the Holy Ghost bears the 
rebuke which is really due to our own laziness. There are three 
distinct departments in which young converts need training, 
namely, in the Word, the worship, and^the work of the church. 
They need training in the text of the Word. Some who are 
brought under religious influences, do not even know the order 



576 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

of succession of the Books of the Bible, and as Dr. Hall 
remarked at Philadelphia, the most of the Bible is an unknown 
territory, as unknown as the unexplorered heart of Africa. 
My own suggestion to every new convert is to have a new Bible. 
The old Bible had under the old life associations of task and 
drudgery ; let him have a new Bible that it may become con- 
nected with the new life on which a young convert enters. I 
think it is best that each person should have his own individual 
system of working ; we must make our own way. The young 
convert must be taught self-work. A young man who has been 
a Christian for two months, came to me the other day, and 
brought me his new Bible to show me the method of marking 
texts which he had discovered and worked out for himself. 
He was full of enthusiasm, and had learned more in two months 
of the Scriptures by following his own system of working than 
he would have done in twelve months by adopting anybody 
else's method. The next thing is training in worship. Train- 
ing in private worship is an abomination. Be as familiar with 
your Heavenly Father as your own father is with you. Let 
there be no formality in talking with your Heavenly Father, 
and learning from Him His will. But in view of his entrance 
upon public service, the young convert needs training. En- 
courage him even in his prayers. Unite with him in spirit ; 
even though his. petition may hardly meet the wants of your 
experience, crowd your experience down to his prayer. I do 
like the Methodist way of groaning ; it helps the young con- 
verts to pray, and encourages them in the use of their voice. I 
would limit the young convert in giving his testimony, for I 
don't believe very much in what is called experience. While 
confessing Christ he is safe, but professing Christianity does not 
always mean the same thing. Some one asked Bishop Gris- 
wold, of Rhode Island once, if he had got humility, and, with 
his squeaky little voice, he replied, " Not much to speak of." 
Therefore, I would have the young converts confine themselves 
to exhorting and giving their testimony. 

I believe also that the church should be a body of workers ; 
not a lot of wandering sheep, who need constant pastoral super- 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 577 

vision. But the pastor ought to find work for everybody ; he 
must have his plan, and all work should be under his direction. 
Upon that point I am a very high churchman, and quite in sym- 
pathy with the views of Dr. Hall. I believe in the pastor being 
a kind of general, just as that man there (pointing at Mr. Moody) 
has for the last six weeks been " bossing " it over everybody. 
This is the duty of the pastor. I believe in the kind of pastoral 
work spoken of by the apostle when it is said, " They gave 
themselves unto the Lord, and unto us for the work of the Lord." 
Two rules I would lay down in regard to setting young converts 
to work : let the pastor study adaptation ; don't let him put 
square pegs into round holes. See what a man can do, and then 
set him about that work. Keep every man as far as possible in 
his own sphere of life and secular calling ; that is, don't take a 
good physician to teach a Bible class, because the chances are 
that half the time he won't be there ; but let his work rather be 
to visit the sick and minister to their bodily and spiritual neces- 
sities. Then I want to see revived the lost institution of the 
Christian Church. During the first century there were what 
were called catechumen classes, and these are greatly needed in 
the present day. The class system of Methodism probably was 
intended by John Wesley to supply this need, but has been de- 
generated, I think, too much to mere experience-meetings instead 
of classes for instruction. Let there be the training of young 
converts in the Word, work and worship, and the effect would 
be the winning of a multitude of souls for Christ. 

Rev. Dr. Deems said : A minister whose preaching was 
blessed to the conversion of souls must have the help of 
Christian men and women in his congregation ; he may well ex- 
claim : " Who is sufficient for these things ? " No one man 
could do the spiritual work of a church of six hundred or one 
thousand souls. Why should a minister be expected to visit 
the members of his congregation ? Why should not they rather 
go and see him ? I teach my people (continued Dr. Deems) 
that they must pay me pastoral visits, and for that purpose I 
am in my office two hours every day, except when Brother Moody 
calls me away, and then of course I must obey orders because 
25 



578 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

he is a layman. Let us teach young converts that as soon as 
they join the church they become co-pastors of the minister and 
are expected to do as much pastoral service for the minister as 
the minister does for them. I do not call preaching hard work, 
it is so delicious and enjoyable to preach ; but when I have a 
young convert to instruct for two hours in my study the exer- 
tion is tenfold that of preaching a sermon. I tell you it is dig- 
ging, spading, hard work. But that is what every pastor ought 
to do : he ought to be president of his own college, and take 
care that all its members have opportunities to prepare for 
Christian work. When a sermon is preached, the work is only 
just begun ; a sermon is not for the people to take away and 
dump down in their home, never to be used again, but every one 
should come with panniers, so as to carry away the good seed 
of the Kingdom, and scatter it wherever they go. 

Rev. Dr. Plummer, of South Carolina, closed the session with 
a brief speech, urging the necessity of closer study of the Bible 
as furnishing the best training for all young converts. He was 
told of hearing it said that it was not polite or proper to ask a 
person whether he was a Christian. No one ought to be 
ashamed to ask such a question ; and there were thousands who 
were waiting to be asked, and would yield to the Saviour if 
their friends and acquaintances did their whole duty. We want 
(he said) more of the Christianity of the New Testament : " He 
found his brother Andrew, and brought him to Christ." 

Mr. Sankey sang the hymn " Nothing but Leaves," and the 
benediction was pronounced by Rev. Dr. Adams. 

The Convention on Church Music. 

Mr. Sankey then came forward and said : The question be- 
fore us is, " How shall the service of song be conducted in the 
Lord's work ? " and for the short time that we have here this 
morning to discuss it I don't propose to go into any elaborate 
exposition but simply to get down at once to the practical work- 
ing of the question. Now, as there are so many different forms 
of work, we will have to take them up in order. I shall com- 
mence first with the church, then I shall talk of the prayer- 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 579 

meeting, then the Sunday-school, then the evangelistic work. 
And first, I would say that I am very glad indeed to see and to 
know that the power of sacred song is beginning to be recog- 
nized, not only in our own land, but in other lands. Now how 
can we utilize this power ? Before I go further I would like to 
make one statement here which will go to prove and establish the 
fact that the power of sacred song will lay hold of the people of 
this land and others to a greater extent than in former years. 
The little hymn-book that was published in England containing 
most of the hymns we are enjoying here to-day, has taken such 
a hold, I would say for the most part on the common people, 
that not less than five million copies have been sold all over the 
world — T mean those with the music and the words. They 
have been sold away off in India and Africa. Not long 
ago I got a translation of them in the Kaffir language. Now 
comes the question here, How can we utilize them ? In the 
first place, with regard to the church services, I would not have 
an artistic quartette choir. The first thing I would do, I would 
discharge them. Now, remember, I don't speak of them indi- 
vidually, but against the services which they attempt to lead or 
rather succeed in monopolizing. I could not praise God here 
for you, you must join for yourself and with us. In order to 
have a large Christian choir, I would have all the Christians I 
could gather in from the congregation and elsewhere. Some 
people, I know, will object to this, but I can't help it. For the 
last two years we have made a rule that only Christians should 
lead these services of praise, and we have tried as far as we 
could to get those who love the Lord and try to sing out of their 
heart for Him, and I know that God has blessed the singing of 
tbese\ Gospel hymns from hearts that know the Saviour. I 
would\have the singers, if possible, near the minister. I would 
not like to have them in the far part of the church where the 
minister can't speak with them and they with him. There is a 
difference, there is a separation and opposition sometimes which 
should never be allowed. The singing should be under the con- 
trol of the office-bearers and minister. The deportment of the 
choir should be such as die congregation will like. If they are 



580 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

before the congregation and with the minister it will be very 
much the better. And there is another plan I should like to 
call attention to, that of having a screen, which, as soon as the 
singing is over, will drop down like a jack in the box and they 
are hid. Your ministers should insist upon it that the choir 
should give as much attention to the sermon and services as the 
congregation. People who will not give attention to the word 
of God as preached, should not be leading the services of praise 
in the church of God. I have found out this, that by having my 
choir give attention to the addresses here, the contagion spreads, 
and the audience give attention too. The most exact attention 
should be given to the preacher while he is preaching. I should 
not deal further with this point except to speak on the instru- 
ment. I have often found this the case, that a large organ 
drowns the people's voice. Now it is not so much the fault of 
the organ as the man who plays it. A large organ may be played 
very softly. I would prefer a small organ near the pulpit and 
have it played just simply so as not to drown the people's voice, 
but support them and keep them in tune. It is the human voice 
we want instead of the playing, for there is nothing equal to the 
human voice in the world. Now, I shall go to the prayer-meet- 
ing, and say a word on how we should conduct the singing in it. 
I would have one man, a Christian, who is a good singer, lead 
the singing, and I would have him regularly at the prayer-meet- 
ings. Very often some very good man or very good woman will 
start up a tune entirely out of pitch ; nobody could join and they 
themselves would nearly break their voices before they were 
through. Now, I would say. let Brother Smith or Jones have 
charge, and if he have a few friends about him, so much the 
better. In regard to instruments in the prayer- meeting, if the 
leader was a good singer, I would dispense with it, and if not, I 
would let some one else raise the tune with it in a proper key. 
Then I would introduce some Sunday-school hymns. Now and 
then a new hymn brought in would give great life and animation 
to the meeting. A very important question is how to introduce 
new tunes. The best plan I have found is to practice the tune 
as a voluntary. I would exclude altogether operatic pieces from 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 58 1 

the church and have my choir understand the simple, plain 
pieces. I would leave an operatic piece for the opera. Don't 
bring it into the house of God. 

Now, with regard to Sunday-school singing, I must say that 
we in America have set an example to the earth in Sunday- 
school singing. But there are few places where they have not 
good singing. To these I would say : get a small instrument, 
and get a lady or gentleman to play it. Gather the singers 
around the leader and sing. Talk to them frequently. I would 
not, however, let it diverge into a singing-school. I would sing 
on the topic of the day. I would not sing about Greenland's 
icy mountains, and pray about something else. Now, I would 
say a word about the Evangelistic services. These are be- 
ing conducted about the country everywhere. Now, if the pro- 
moters of union services would send out notices to all the de- 
nominations of ministers, and ask them to send in the very best 
singers in their choirs and congregations, and have them come 
together, saying, " Now, for this time and these services we will 
lay aside our little differences of opinion and unite on one thing, 
singing for Jesus," it would be found to work well. All the 
practice-meetings of choirs, I think, should always be opened and 
closed with prayer. There will not be one disturbance in that 
case for the thousand if they are opened with prayer. I com- 
mend this to all you friends that are to be connected in any way 
with singing : have the meeting opened and closed with prayer. 
I would also have plenty of hymns printed on slips, so as to let 
the people have the words. I would make a point of going into 
the work of supplying the people with the hymns, and then I 
would have the minister speak to the people about the hymn, as 
Mr. Spurgeon does. He gets up and reads the hymn through, 
commenting on this verse and that, and telling the congregation 
how they might sing it. The result is there is not one but sings 
it at the top of his voice. If a man on the other hand gets up 
and reads a hymn, and gives it over to the choir, that is the end 
of it, and with a worldly choir they care very little. I wish the 
day was spent and gone when such would be the practice in our 
churches, and I hope the day will come when the ministers will 



582 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

encourage the singers in this way, for there is a great power in 
it. Many a man will remember how you read the hymn. I re- 
member in Philadelphia, years ago, when I was a little boy, I 
heard an old minister get up and read the hymn, " There is a 
fountain filled with blood." I have thought of that old man, 
with his grey hair, and tears streaming down his face, as he 
read that hymn, ever since, though I have forgotten the sermon 
and everything else. I want to spend five minutes more, that 
you may. ask me some practical questions. If I have any infor- 
mation I will be pleased to give it to you. 

The following questions were then put and replies given : 

Q. Would you not think it better to encourage congregational 
singing by abolishing the choir altogether and have it led by 
a single voice ? 

A. I think not, from the fact that very few precentors have 
the power of voice to lead two or three thousand people. They 
have to labor so hard in leading that they don't create that 
sympathetic feeling toward the singing that should exist. There 
is no impropriety in it, but I would not advise any man or 
woman to attempt it alone. 

Q. What about smaller meetings ? 

A. The same will apply to small ones. 

Q. Would you have the leader of a prayer-meeting pitch 
the tune ? 

A. If a singer, he could do it, but of course the man who 
leads is not always a singer. I think we would have a hard 
time if I should ask brother Moody to lead the singing here 
to-day. 

Q. If you have not got any singers who are Christians, what 
would you do ? 

A. I would commence evangelistic services at once and 
get some. 

Q. Would you recommend solo singing in the ordinary church 
services ? 

A. Not as a rule. 

Mr. Moody — I would if I had Sankey. (Loud applause.) 

Mr. Sankey — Let me for a moment speak of this solo singing. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 



583 



read in the word here, " Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
ichly in all wisdom ; teaching and admonishing one another 
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs ; singing with grace 
in your hearts to the Lord." There are hymns which teach and 
>reach the Gospel, and these are not hymns of praise. I believe 
tat is another power of singing which many have not discov- 
:red yet, that of preaching the Gospel. There is no praise in 
the hymn "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by," yet it has been 
blessed to hundreds of souls. It is not praising God at all. 
When it comes to praising God I will join in the general sing- 
ing as heartily as any one else. If I want to preach to you in 
song I would ask you to listen. 

Q. Would you ask the congregation to sing in unison ? 

A. As a rule, I would ask them to join in the air or leading 
part and let the choir bring in the tenor and bass and other 
parts. If, however, a man in the audience is a good singer 
and his voice is better adapted to singing bass, let him sing bass. 

The subject was continued by the singing of "Hold the 
Fort," in which, as may readily be inferred, the congregation 
joined with a will. 

The Rev. Dr. Taylor then said : It seems to me as a founda- 
tion of all that is said and done upon this matter that we ought 
to have right ideas of the importance of praise. Let us 
think of what the sacrifice of praise in the house of the Lord is 
designed to do. It prepares the way for the descent of the Holy 
Spirit into the heart. Bring me a minstrel, said Elisha, and 
while listening to the music the spirit of the Lord came down 
and he prophesied. Very frequently, through the music of a 
song of praise, the spirit of God in His glory has come down 
and filled the living temple of the human heart; for it not only 
prepares the way for the sermon to follow, but very often clinches 
the effect produced by the sermon. I heard the beautiful story 
about Toplady's conversion. He went into a barn in Ireland 
where he heard a Primitive Methodist minister preach the Gos- 
pel. At the close the minister gave out the hymn, " Come ye 
sinners, poor and needy." It seemed to him then that the 
whole company of the congregation took up the appeal from the 



584 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA, 

minister's lips, and instead of one appeal there was that of hun- 
dreds. Then he gave his heart to Christ, and nobly did he 
honor the obligation in his later life by laying on the altar of 
Christ the hymn that we are so fond of — 

" Rock of ages cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee." 

Then, again, singing sustains the heart in trial. Very often 
in this country we are in the habit of serenading our great men, 
but oh ! no songs in the ear of God are like the serenades which 
go up from the hearts of God's children in the night of trial. 
He comes forth from His throne to speak words of comfort and 
cheer. Then, again, it braces the heart for conflict. After His 
last supper, Christ sang a hymn — the Lord Jesus sang and sang 
with Gethsemane in view, to brace Himself up for conflict with 
the prince of this world. Who does not know, too, how Luther 
strung himself up for his reformation work by that noble version 
of the 46th psalm, termed the Marseillaise of the Reformation. 
Mr. Sankey has covered the whole ground in the admirable ad- 
dress to which we have listened, so in my remarks I will limit 
myself to congregational singing, and will look at it from the 
point of view of the pastor. Mr. Sankey has a little forgotten 
that while conducting the evangelistic services he has everything 
in his power — the pastor has to take the church with him. The 
church must be like Wordsworth's cloud, and move altogether 
if at all. Ministers have to suffer, like Moses, a good many 
things for the hardness of people's hearts. If we want to come 
up to the ideal pitch of perfection we should probably end by 
making discord all around. So we have got to make the best 
of things as at present. We ought to be limited in our range of 
selection of hymns. I have a profound conviction that the great 
size of our congregational hymn-books is killing congregational 
singing. It is not possible for the great multitude of the con- 
gregation to acquire the facilities to sing all the tunes needed 
for the rendering of these hymns. The first thing I would re- 
commend a minister to do is by a species of natural selection to 
make his own little selection out of the big one, and if by any 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 585 

accident he would give out one that dragged, then put a beacon 
on it and not give it out again. Let ministers give good heed 
to the counsels Mr. Sankey addressed to them with regard to 
the necessity of cultivating good feeling between them and the 
choir. If they persist in looking on the choir as hirelings it 
will develop the hireling spirit. Don't continue to look on them 
as necessary evils. (Laughter.) Go and have a free and frank 
and brotherly conference with them. Don't manage it by au- 
thority, you can never do that. Manage them by influence and 
love. Talk sincerely and earnestly on the subject. One more 
thing I would say. If we have good congregational singing, we 
must have rousing preaching. The best way to heat a church 
is to have the stove in the pulpit. 

The Rev. Dr. Hastings then delivered a long address, in 
which in some measure he differed from the principles laid 
down by Mr. Sankey. He said first of all he had not one par- 
ticle of sympathy for the church suffering under the curse of 
mercenary choirs, nor would he until the church would wake up 
to the fact of the shameful neglect of which she was guilty in 
this matter of praising God. You ministers, said he, who are 
tortured by quartettes, I am not sorry for you. Have you 
gone to the rehearsal, have you taken them by the hand and 
found out their thoughts about the praise of God ? have you 
ever shown any sympathy for them personally ? When they 
are singing in church are you looking over notes, or looking 
over the Bible, or occupying yourself with something else ? If 
I tread on Mr. Moody's toes a little for a minute — one service 
which is permitted to be interrupted is the service of song. 
Mr. Moody while Dr. Adams was praying did not say " Open the 
doors," but the moment the hymn is singing, he says, " Now 
open the doors and let them in." The most magnificent thing 
I ever heard in my life is the lifting up of the voices of this great 
congregation. I don't blame Mr. Moody — it is only of a piece 
with the common habit of the church throughout the country. 
What Brother Sankey said this morning was admirable sense 
for the millenium, but we are but little past the middle of the 
nineteenth century yet. Let us work toward it. I have got a 



586 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

pretty good pair of legs, long enough for ordinary use. For 
many years, while my sainted father was with me, I had the 
delight of having my choir just as I wanted, and when the 
crisis came I said to my legs " Now do your duty," and I went 
on the hunt, just as Mr. Sankey recommended to find singers 
in the congregation to make themselves targets for the ungen- 
erous criticism of the congregation. My congregation is better 
than the average on that subject. Singers have some rights 
which Christians are bound to respect. They are not respected 
by the church and ministers as they should be ; they are held 
at arm's length. The average condition of musical culture in a 
given congregation must determine what the singing should be, 
and that congregation cannot ignore the fact without a viola- 
tion of nature. I would rather have a first-rate quartette than a 
first rate precentor. There is more music in it. You can 
have a Christian influence prevailing in a quartette choir as well 
as in choral choir. The churches have not lifted up this ser- 
vice and elevated it with the service of prayer. I long for the 
revival of love and joy in the Holy Ghost to bring us to our 
senses on this subject. Why, look at the days of Solomon, 
when four thousand were set apart for the service of song. 
There is not a church I ever knew of that took any careful 
measures to train up either a leader or a choir for themselves. 

The second hour's services were now commenced, Mr. Moody 
saying amid loud laughter, " Now I don't know how to get the 
people in," adding, after giving out the second hymn, "Let all 
rise and sing. Never mind the doors. If you are paying atten- 
tion to what you are singing you won't notice the people coming 
in. If I were to set apart two minutes for them to come in, then 
these ministers would get talking, and I couldn't stop them." 
After a short preliminary service the following queries were put, 
and answered by Mr. Moody : 

Q. How can you introduce new hymns into the church ? 

A. One good way is to have one night given to sacred song, 
and singing new hymns and tunes, as well as the old ones ; 
and then I would have the people have the books in their 
homes. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 587 

Q. How can I get the speakers to be short in the prayer- 
meetings ? 

A. Be short yourself and set a good example. 

Q. My church is divided. I can't get them united in special 
services. What am I to do ? 

A. Just get as many as you can, and just get each one to in- 
fluence those that are standing out. 

A. I am a pastor in a town with about ten thousand inhabit- 
ants. I cannot get the young men out to our meetings. What 
am I to do ? 

A. The best thing to do is just to have a yoke-fellows' band 
— form the Christian young men into a band ; suppose there 
were only three of them, let them meet and pray together. The 
little band will soon grow, and in the course of a few months 
they will be thirty. Let your preaching be short ; throw away 
your manuscript and preach right at them. If you see a man 
has gone to sleep make up your mind that you have got to close. 
There ought to be no trouble about that. A man can get a 
hymn book for five cents. He can drop off one cigar and get it. 
The great trouble is that a great many only have the hooks in 
the church ; they ought to have them in their homes. 

Q. What do you think of having a service devoted entirely to 
sacred song opened and closed by prayer ? 

A. A very good thing. 

Q. What would you do to get people out to hear the Gospel 
preached ? 

A. Get them out to hear it sung. In that way you will get 
them acquainted with it. Touch it up with some little story when 
you give it out, and before you know it you are preaching to them. 

Q. What is the best book for inquirers ? 
A. Well, the book written by John is about the best I have 
ever seen. 

Q. How would you wake up an interest in the church prayer- 
meeting ? 

A. Why, wake up yourself. Shake hands with the young 
men, say you are glad to see them, and you may be sure they 
will come back again. I believe men living in a country dis- 



5&8 , MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

trict have, in this respect, more advantages than we in cities. 
When I was in my native village I had all those long winter 
evenings to myself, and if there had been such meetings I would 
have been glad to go to them. When I went back to my native 
town, last summer, I preached there for a short time. When I 
was ready to go away some of the young converts asked me 
what they should do. I told them to go right into the school- 
houses and hold a series of meetings. The result was that 
these houses are filled with people at those meetings. I tell 
you the nation is hungry for the Gospel. 

Q. If a church is sadly in debt would you favor a fair ? 

A. I am a sworn enemy to them. I never knew one yet but 
the devil got in before we got through. Just conceive for a 
moment Paul going down to Corinth to open a fair. God's 
people have money enough, they don't want to go into the world 
to get it. There was a time when the church was trying to get 
out of the world, but now the world has come into the church. 
A young lady is put behind a table to draw young people to her 
beauty. I don't know when I was more mortified than by an 
advertisement of a church fair in the West, where it was said 
that any young man could come in and take a kiss from the 
handsomest woman in the room for twenty-five cents. I hope 
the time is come when we shall be rid of these abominations. 
It would be a good deal better to preach in the streets than to 
get a church put up in that way. 

Q. How would you get members to work ? 

A. Well, keep them out of fairs. I don't think you can move 
the church in a mass ; you have got to work with them privately 
and personally, A great many persons would work if they were 
shown what to do, and there are a good many others of execu- 
tive ability in the church who could set them about it. Sup- 
pose the politicians wanted to carry New York ; they would 
know how every man would vote. 

Q. What is the best book on revivals ? 

A. The Bible. (Loud applause.) 

Q. To what extent is it profitable to use the talents of Chris- 
tian women in special efforts f 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 589 

A. The women in the inquiry-meetings here are of great help. 
A woman's meeting is held every day at the close of the noon 
prayer-meeting, and their inquiry-room is always nearly full. 
No one can visit so well as a woman. The time is coming 
when there will be ten women missionaries for one we have now. 
A woman can go into the kitchen and sit right down and talk 
with a woman at the wash-tub. The poor woman will tell a 
person of her own sex her troubles, when she will not converse 
with a man. What a blessing it would be, if in this city, as in 
London, ladies of wealth and position would visit the poor. 

Q. How would you get your choir in the front of the church 
when they insist on staying in the rear ? 

A. I tell you how it is done at Northfield. They have got 
an organ in the gallery away far from the pulpit. I objected to 
this, but not only that, I didn't see the object of having singing 
behind the people. Our ears are not put on in the wrong way. 
I said I would send to Bradbury and get an organ myself, and 
then they brought it down. 

Q. Suppose none of the congregation understand music ? 

A. Well I don't understand music, but I can sing as well as 
Mr. Sankey can. I can sing from my heart. The fact is peo- 
ple have gone to sleep. Larks never sing in their nests, it is 
when they get out. A little boy who had been converted was 
constantly singing. While his papa was reading the paper one 
day he came up to him and said, "Papa you are a Christian, 
but you never sing." Says the father, " I have got established. " 
Not long after they went out to drive, but the horse would not go. 
The father got vexed and said, " I wonder what ails him ? " " I 
think," said the boy, "he has got established." 

Q. How far shall persons be urged to confess Christ ? 

A. You will see in Romans, x.. 10. If we are to be soldiers 
of Christ we are to put on the livery of Christ, and let the world 
know. 

Q. Should the influence of the Spirit be waited for? 

A. Our work is to preach Christ. The work of the Holy 
Spirit is to convince men that Christ is the Son of God. He 
will do His work if we will do ours. 



59© MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Q. Should a pastor lead a weekly meeting of young converts 
in order to train them in Bible study ? 

A. A very good thing. We should teach them both Word 
and works. In an article written by a friend of mine it is asked 
how is a man to mow if he does not sharpen his scythe? What 
would you say of a man who is always sharpening his scythe? 
The quickest way to train young converts is to put them to 
work ; but the Word should not be neglected. When the scythe 
gets dull it should be sharpened up again. 

Q. How about fault-finders ? 

A. I would deal with them personally and ask them how is it 
with their own souls. 

Qy How can you make sinners feel their sinfulness ? 

A. That is God's work, you can't do it. 

Q. If a minister or some influential layman should object 
your working? 

A. I should preach in a cottage or elsewhere. Never force 
yourself on a people, but if you are faithful they will be glad to 
hear you. 

Rev. Dr. Armitage was called upon by Mr. Moody to open 
the debate on "How to get hold of non-church-goers." He 
said, "I am very grateful that the phrase "non-church-goers" 
is put in the question. I like it better than the formula more 
generally in use, namely, How can we reach the masses ? It is 
sharp. There is more of the angular about it. It comes 
directly home. It does not lead the mind into any of the mists 
of class distinctions ; but draws the line sharply between those 
who are in the' church and those who are not. ' Those who are 
not in the church are divided into three classes — infidels, pagans, 
and Mohammedans, and to each of these the leaven of the 
church is to extend until the whole bin is leavened. I think we 
are to begin to ' get hold of non-church-goers' by going after 
them, if they will not come to us. I know of no other way. I 
am not aware of any one passage in the New Testament, or 
indeed in any part of Scripture, which authorizes the Church 
of God in expecting that the unreconciled shall come to her, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he commenced his mission as the 



is it 
t to 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 59 1 

Saviour of the world, went about first to seek those who were 
lost, and then to save those whom He had sought and found. 
The shepherd in the parable did not expect the wandering sheep 
to come back voluntarily, but he left the ninety and nine to go 
and seek the lost ; when He found it, He put it upon his 
shoulders, and brought it back to the flock with great joy. Our 
Lord went about doing good, not waiting for the people to come 
to Him. He went into the cities and villages and towns, into 
the families, amongst the agriculturists, and all conditions of 
people. There were no tenement houses in the Judean cities ; 
if there had been, there would have been no room, from cellar 
to basement, that He would not have visited. When He was 
sending His disciples forth his injunction was, ' Go ye into ail 
the world, and preach- the Gospel to every creature.' A per- 
petual missionary church ! When the church ceases to be 
offensive, it will retrograde. The question for us to consider is 
how can we 'get hold.' Not simply to reach after, or attract, or 
move ; but get hold of. There is a significance about that old 
Anglo-Saxon word. It indicates nerve, muscle, resolution, will, 
and perseverance — this getting hold of non-church-goers. We 
must fall back constantly upon our Lord's example, and do as 
He did. He laid hold of the people by patient labor, and by 
pressing home the fact of His mission to save them. It was 
the story of Christ's life and death and resurrection that made 
the apostles' preaching so powerful ; and we must preach Jesus 
and the resurrection if we want to get hold of the people. We 
must labor with them in the great facts of the Gospel. ' Get 
hold ' of them, too, by intense love. Nothing less than this will 
open their hearts to us. We must have an affection for them 
which they can feel. Love, my dear brethren of the ministry, 
is always unconventional. It knows nothing about poverty, or 
class distinctions, or birth, or character. Love sweeps away 
all of these. It is the loving, earnest souls that have an influ- 
ence for good. What would you give for the poet apart from 
the love which is in all true poetry, or for the orator who was 
not all in a blaze, or for the sculptor who was not all aglow with 
love ? What will a non-church-goer give for your endeavors in 



592 MOODY AND SANKEY *N AMERICA. 

his behalf, unless he knows that you love him? If you find a 
non-church-goer — be he skeptical, or a poor man, or an ignorant 
man, or a sick man — bring to him your sympathy, just as the 
Lord Jesus did to all with whom He spoke. It is said that the 
natives of India, when they want to quarry out a stone, first 
take a chisel and run a groove, then they kindle a fire in the 
groove, and last of all, they pour in a little water, which, be- 
coming heated, causes the stone to expand and eventually to 
burst. This is just what the Lord Jesus did. First he grooved 
right down into the hardness of the human heart, then poured 
in the water of His love, and thus gained an entrance and broke 
it asunder." There was considerable applause at the close of 
Dr. Armitage's address, but Mr. Moody remarked, " The time 
at our disposal is so short that we haven't any time for applause, 
and must fill up every minute. We will next hear from Rev. 
Dr. Newton, of Philadelphia." 

Rev. Dr. Newton, pastor of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
of the Epiphany, on Chestnut and Fifteenth streets, Philadelphia, 
said : The Lord Jesus when upon earth called His people " the 
salt of the earth," but the salt is of no use unless it be scattered. 
He also said : '/ Ye are the light of the world ; " but the rays of the 
sun must be dispersed if they are to give light all over the earth. 
Oh, if the church, by its individual members, would but scatter 
the rays of spiritual light in this way, how many hundreds 
and thousands might be brought within its influence. We may 
do this wherever we go. An Episcopal clergyman in England 
was staying at a hotel, and was waited upon by a little English 
girl. He asked her " Do you ever pray ? " " Oh, no, sir," she 
replied ; " we have no time here to pray ; I am too busy to do 
that." "I want you to promise me," said the clergyman, "that 
during the next two months you will say three words of prayer 
every night, and when I come here again at the end of that 
time, I will give you half a crown." "All right," she said, " I 
will do it." u Well, Jane, I want you to say every night ' Lord 
save me.' " He left, and two months after when he came again 
to the hotel inquired for Jane, and was told, " Oh, she has got 
tDO good to stay in a hotel ; she has gone to the parsonage up 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 593 

yonder." He went to see her, and as she opened the door for 
him she said, "Oh, you blessed man, I don't want your half- 
crown ; I have got enough already." And then she told- how at 
first she had just carelessly run over the words as she was going 
to bed at nights, but after the first two weeks she began to think 
what the word " save" meant; then she got a Bible and found 
the words, " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," 
and the prayer was no longer a mere form. " Now," she said, 
"I am happy, and I don't want your half-crown, but I am so 
thankful that you asked me to say that prayer." Wherever we 
go, let us carry that spirit with us, and be ready to speak to all 
we meet ; by that means we shall soon "get hold of non-church- 
goers." Take simple means, and use sympathy, feeling, love 
and earnestness. In the congregation of an earnest minister, 
there was a man who was an infidel, and who prided himself on 
his opposition to the Gospel. The minister prepared a sermon, 
in which, by powerful argument, he sought to convince the man 
of his error. But he sat unmoved through it all. When the in- 
fidel got home his little girl came to him with her eyes full of 
tears, and having evidently something upon her heart. He 
asked her why she was crying, and she replied : " I am thinking 
of what my Sunday-school teacher has been telling me about 
what Jesus suffered for us ; " and then looking straight into his 
eyes, she said : " And oh, papa, don't you think we ought to 
love this blessed Jesus?" He had resisted the sermon, but 
the child's words broke him down ; he went to his room to pray, 
and that night he went to the church to seek an interest in the 
prayers of the people. When the minister heard of it he said 
to his wife, after reading over the sermon to her, " There is one 
great lack about that sermon ; there is not enough of Jesus in it." 
He learned the lesson which we must all learn, that if we want 
to reach the hearts of men we must have much of Christ in our 
sermons and our conversation, and then we may expect God 
will bless us. 

Rev. Mr. Fletcher, of Dublin, Ireland, was next introduced 
by Mr. Moody. He said : I am the bearer of good news from 
a far country. Multitudes of people in Ireland and Scotland 



594 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 






and throughout Great Britain bless God for the visit to our 
shores of our dear brothers Moody and Sankey. Thousands of 
hearts are praying for them every day. Before they came 
among us we were very much in the position of the minister 
alluded to yesterday who often preached about the recognition 
of friends in a future state ; (laughter) but we never saw our 
way clear to any kind of real Christian union among the mem- 
bers of the various Protestant churches, until God in his good 
Providence raised up these two men, and sent them over to our 
shores. Through their influence good men of different denom- 
inations have become united, and we are now welded together; 
and we pray that God may bless this great country of America 
from whence came these two men, whose labors have been so 
greatly blessed. And let me say that if ever, in God's good prov- 
idence, they should return, all England, and Scotland, and 
Ireland will receive them with open arms. (Applause). Yet 
there were some wise men — men with long faces and long 
heads (laughter) — who prophesied that the work would not be 
permanent ; many of the Episcopalian ministers — and let it be 
understood that I am Episcopalian myself to the backbone, if 
you please — were of this opinion. They said this kind of work 
is irregular ; it will be much damage to the church ; and some 
said, " Wait two years, we will give you that time, and then see 
where the converts will be." They prophesied that the effects 
would be "like footprints on the sands " of the seashore ; you 
see they got quite a practical idea. But it was not true. The 
two years have passed since the work in Scotland, and more 
than two years since that in Ireland, and what is the result? I 
say it in the presence of my God — not for the praise of men, 
but for the glory of God — that the work is broader and deeper 
now than it was then. You ask, How is this ? We had con- 
vened in a similar gathering to this eight hundred and fifty of 
the cream of our clergy— more than four hundred of them 
Episcopalians, and the other four hundred and fifty belonging 
to the various dissenting denominations ; their hearts were 
warmed : they received a fresh baptism, and now they are work- 
ing in their own city, town and village parishes in a way they 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 595 

never worked before. Hundreds of clergymen who were thus 
brought together confessed they did not know how to preach 
until they heard a layman. Now they preach eye to eye, heart 
to heart, face to face ; and they look for immediate results, be- 
lieving that they may be the means of the salvation of souls as 
surely as they believe that Jesus lived, and died, and rose again 
and ascended into heaven. That is the way to reach the masses. 
Now what are you to do here? Many of our Episcopalian 
brethren in Ireland made a fatal mistake, and they are mourn- 
ing for it to-day. And the same will be the case if the Episco- 
palian members hold aloof from this movement here. I am 
sorry there is one absent to-day. You should learn from our 
experience. Take our testimony. Know that this work is 
from God, and that His Spirit is resting upon it. Remember, 
you don't honor the .work by coming into it, but you get great 
honor by being permitted to take part in it. Look only to the 
honor and glory of Jesus, honor Him by the circulation and 
preaching of His word, and thus multitudes will be gathered 
into the fold of Christ. 

" Rescue the Perishing " was then sung by Mr. Sankey, who 
remarked that the following verse contained one of the most 
blessed truths that had been uttered in connection with the sub- 
ject before them : 

" Down in the human heart, 

Crushed by the tempter, 
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore ; 

Touched by a loving heart, 

Wakened by kindness, 
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more." 

Rev. Dr. Chamberlain, a missionary lately returned from Cen- 
tral India, gave a touching recital of the effect which the telling 
of the simple story of the cross had in an Indian city, where a 
savage mob had threatened to stone him when he first entered 
upon his mission work. Those who were the most violent were 
subdued, ready entrance was found to the hearts of the people ; 
and many copies of the Scriptures were afterwards purchased 
by the very people who a few hours before had refused to even 



59S MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

allow them to be given away in their city. He then, at the re- 
quest of Mr. Moody, sang a Telugu song, which had been set 
to music, which was very popular in India. He sang it in the 
native language, and afterward recited the following translation, 
remarking that the words might be heard sung in the streets 
and houses of the people in many parts of Central India : 

REFRAIN. 

Ni charanamule Nammiti, Nammiti, 
Ni padamule battiti, battiti. 

I. 

Dikkika nive tsakkagu rave 
Mikkili mrokkudu, mrokkudu. 

II. 

Aihiki sukamu narisiti nitya 
Mahaha drohini, drohini. 

Translation into the same metre in English : 

REFRAIN. 

Thy refuge would I seek, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus: 
Thy mercy-giving feet would I clasp, blessed Jesus. 

My only help art Thou. Wilt thou not hear me ? 
For on Thee, Thee alone, Thee alone do I call. 

Refrain — Thy refuge, etc. 
II. 
The fleeting joys of earth have not I tasted ? 
Traitor I wander far, wander far, far from Thee. 

Refrain — Thy refuge, etc. 
in. 
My own works, all so vile, filled with pollution, 
I abhor, I renounce, Saviour turn me not away, 

Refrain — Thy refuge, etc. 

IV. 

My hard and sinful will, my baser passions, 

Pluck them out, drive them hence ; free me, Lord, deliver me. 

Refrain — Thy refuge, etc. 
v. 
My nature so corrupt, canst Thou not change it ? 
Ease my pain, oh my God ! save me, Lord, save me now. 

Refrain — Thy refuge, etc. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 597 

At the call of Mr. Moody an earnest prayer on behalf of the 
salvation of the heathen was offered by Rev. Dr. SchafT, and the 
closing speech of the hour was made by Rev. Dr. John Hall, 
who, after offering words of congratulation and thankfulness in 
regard to the glorious work accomplished through the instru- 
mentality of Messrs. Moody and Sankey in Ireland, England, 
and on this continent, said that the work would be permanent 
just in proportion as the church was diligent. In regard to the 
subject under consideration, "How to reach non-church goers," 
he replied that the work would be done by each individual 
Christian working in their own sphere and among their own 
circle of friends, and specially by special prayer on behalf of 
the conversion of persons in whom our interest might be felt. 
He related circumstances in connection with his own church work, 
illustrating his idea and showing how one conversion often leads 
to several others being reached. The church was as much a 
New Testament and God-ordained institution as the ministry, 
and work would therefore be best accomplished through that 
channel. He said he would not join in the cry for burning of 
sermons ; many sermons which were read were equally effective 
as those delivered extempore. He would not lay down any 
rule as to the length of a sermon. The worst rubbish he ever 
heard under the name of a sermon was preached in a Protestant 
church in Rome, and it only lasted ten minutes ; that was ten 
minutes too long. His theory was that all the trees in God's 
garden should bear fruit after their kind. When all the mem- 
bers of a congregation were engaged in prayer for individuals in 
whom they were interested, the result would be constant conver- 
sions. Nobody gets the glory, but the temple is built up, and 
Christ has all the glory. 

The next hour was devoted to the subject of "Our Young 
Men : what more can we do for them ? " Two or three verses 
of "Nearer My God to Thee," were sung, after which Mr. John 
Wannamaker, President of the Philadelphia Y. M. C. A., ad- 
dressed the Convention. He said : The two questions which 
are before the Convention this afternoon lie very close together. 
Of the non-church-going masses, certainly a very large portion, 



598 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

if not the largest, is composed of young men. I sometimes think 
that we forget how large a proportion of our population is com- 
posed of young men. I should not wonder if in this city alone 
there are as many as 350,000 young men out of a million and 
a half people in New York. What a vast company it is ! What 
a peculiar company ! And whilst I love the Church dearer than 
anything else on this earth, yet I cannot but feel that 1 must 
work both in it and out of it to reach this class of } r oung men. 
Satan seems to have seized upon our young men, and is holding 
them outside the door of the Church, and the preaching of our 
wise and faithful ministers, therefore, does not reach them. 
Hence under the fostering care and inspiration of the pulpit the 
Young Men's Christian Associations have been organized. If 
there is one other object these associations have in view, I have, 
in an acquaintance with them of twenty years, not been able to 
find it out. If we do not conduct them in just the manner which 
seems best, I would say to my dear brethren of the ministry, give 
us your counsel, but don't in your synods and assemblies and 
conferences move resolutions about "certain unordained young 
men," and so forth, and so forth. Come to us, and help us make 
these associations what you want them to be. We mean to do 
what good we can by means of this " missing link " between the 
church and the outlying masses. These young men are sorely 
tempted, and they need our help. Mr. Wannamaker told an 
affecting incident of a young man who presented himself at the 
Association rooms in Philadelphia; he had come to the city to 
search for work, failed to get it, spent his money, and had not 
enough left to- pay for a night's lodging. Just then he was 
offered a situation in a liquor-saloon, but he had the courage to 
refuse it. "No," said he, " I will starve and freeze first. My 
father in the country is a Methodist class-leader, and my mother 
is praying for me, and it would break her heart to know that I 
was engaged in selling liquor." This young man was just one 
of thousands in our large cities, and they need our sympathy. 
Mr. Wannamaker, in the course of an earnest speech, which was 
well received, again called upon the ministers present to give 
the Young Men's Christian Associations their hearty co-opera- 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 599 

tion, and also counselled all present to give themselves to indi- 
vidual work for the Master, not relying upon superintendents, 
secretaries, or committees, but each man and woman making 
the resolve to bring one soul to Christ every day of their life. 

Mr. W. E. Dodge, Jr., next addressed the convention, very 
heartily commending the work of Young Men's Christian Asso- 
ciations to the prayers and active sympathy of both ministers 
and laymen present. In working for the conversion of young 
men the first thing to be done was to show them that every one 
in the church loves and respects them ; show them that they 
are wanted to work in the church ; let them feel that they are 
an important part of the church ; and make them work amongst 
themselves and for each other. In country towns and villages 
the system of sending out the young men two and two for Chris- 
tian work has been greatly blessed ; much good has been ac- 
complished, and the churches had been awakened by the re- 
ports which these young men would bring of their work. 

At the conclusion of Mr. Dodge's speech, Mr. Sankey sang 
with intense feeling and power the hymn, "What are you going 
to do, brother?" and the whole congregration was moved to 
tears. It was a touching sight to see many of the strong men 
occupying the delegates' seats in the centre of the house visibly 
affected at the touching, solemn, and heart-searching appeal. 

" Oh for such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit," said Mr. 
Moody, " during the last moments of this Convention, that we 
may not have room to receive it." After a few moments of 
silent prayer a fervent petition was offered by Rev. Dr. Roswell 
Hitchcock, after which the ever memorable Christian Conven- 
tion of March, 1876, was brought to a close. 

Mr. Moody Scatters Gems. 

Says the reporter : The sermon from the text, tl One thing thou 
lackest," was one of the strongest yet delivered at the Hippo- 
drome. Mr. Moody has the fire and passion of the Crusader. 
He propels his Christianity with heat and power, which carries 
all before it. The lukewarm, the godless, the drifting are caught 
up by it, and many are taken into the Church. Only those who 



600 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

are insensible to religious impressions, those too cultivated for 
the crudities and the strong feeling, and those who are coldly 
fortified by another philosophy, remain wholly unaffected. He 
is not so uninstructed as is generally supposed. Though not 
educated for the ministry, his preaching shows a wide acquaint- 
ance with the Bible and its literature. He has ranged himself 
against the powers of evil, and, feeling his strength, he rises to 
a fervor and devotion which only men with one absorbing idea 
can feel. " You have to act as if there was not another man in 
the world to act," said he yesterday ; " I made up my mind to 
that ten years ago." From this sermon we take 



Mary's Choice. 






In the first chapter of Luke, the 41st verse, we read of Mary's 
choice. After we have been saved, the next thing is to sit at the 
feet of Jesus, and learn of Him, as Mary did. That is God's 
College. You may go through Andover and Princeton and Yale 
and Harvard, or any and all of the colleges, but if you don't go 
to God's college, God will not use you for his cause. He sends 
his teachers all out from there. We must learn at the feet of 
Jesus from His lips. A man who prayed at Jesus' feet did not 
have his prayers answered in the way he expected them to be. 
He wanted to stay there. He prayed to be allowed to sit at 
Jesus' feet forever. '' No," said Christ, " go and tell what great 
things the Lord hath done for you." The first news that came 
to the disciples that Christ had risen came from the two Marys. 
They came and fell at the feet of the Saviour, and He said to them, 
'•Go publish what thou hast seen; go, tell the tidings." He 
said to Mary, " She hath the one thing needful," and that was 
to sit at the fountain and drink of the wisdom of the Saviour. 
The disciples were called disciples because they were to learn 
of Him. The young converts who are not willing to study 
Christ and learn of Jesus, are not fit for His service. They 
must go to God's college and learn of Him. Martha was like 
many who are willing to work for God, to do something for 
Him, but are not willing to pause and hear the voice of Jesus. 
Hundreds of good people are willing to do all they can, but 



THE WOSK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 6oi 

they are not willing to stop and hear the voice of the Lord and 
receive instruction from Him. He says, " It is more blessed 
to give than to receive." Mary took her place of receiving, 
and was content to put the Lord in His place of giving some- 
thing. She chose the good part. I think if I had Christ in 
my house to-night ; I would feel like not doing anything, like 
letting the supper go, and sitting at His feet to ask Him ques- 
tions and listen to the answers. It is better if we are going to 
work for God to be alone with Him a great deal. 

There are two lives that Christians lead ; one before the 
world, wherein we manifest God ; and there is a life that we 
must live alone with God, and sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ. 
The longer I live, and the older I grow, the more convinced I 
am that there are times when we must sit quietly at the feet of 
Jesus, and only let God speak to our souls. O, young friend, 
learn that lesson. It will save you many a painful hour. Just 
keep quietly alone, and learn of Jesus. You know it is when a 
man is alone with his wife, that he tells her the precious secrets 
of his soul. It is not when the family are around, or when there 
is company there. So, when we want to get the secrets of 
heaven, we want to be alone with Jesus, and listen that He may 
come and whisper to our souls. The richest hours I have ever 
had with God, have not been in great assemblies like this, but 
sitting alone at the feet of Jesus. But, in these days of steam 
and telegraph, we cannot get time to listen to Christ's whisper 
in our ears. We are so busy we do not choose the one thing 
needful. If we did, we would not talk so much as we would 
listen, and when we did speak, it would be only when we had 
something to say. We would hear words that came from the 
Master, and they would burn down deep into our souls and 
bring forth fruit. 

In the twentieth chapter of Matthew, eighth verse, you read 
the words, "One is your Master." Ah, to learn who is your 
Master and serve him only ! We are willing to serve our friends, 
to serve the church, to serve the public, and please every one, 
and forget the Lord. But we should just have one master, and 
live to please him alone, and he should be the Lord of Glory. 
26 



602 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

He is a good Master. I want to recommend Him to you here 
to-day. If He is not your Master, then the devil is. Every 
one has a master, who is either Satan or Christ. You may not 
acknowledge it, you may not know it, but either the Lord of 
Glory or else the Prince of the Powers of Darkness is the one 
you serve. Satan is a hard and cruel master. If you make 
mistakes under him, he will have no mercy for you. When you 
get into trouble, if you are in his service, you will have to suffer 
indeed ; but with the Lord of Glory for your master, if you 
make mistakes or fall into error, all you have to do is to go 
and confess to Him, and He will forgive you quickly and smile 
upon you, and restore to you the joy of salvation if you have 
lost it. O, that we might learn the sweet lesson that " One is 
our Master," and that One is Christ in Heaven. Those men who 
are trying to serve the public, what do they gain ? I pity those 
men in Washington, who are trying to serve the public. We 
send them there, and then turn and abuse them. Public men 
get nothing but abuse, after all. It is a hard thing to serve the 
public ; but it is a glorious thing to serve Christ. I would a 
thousand times rather have Him for my master, than the cruel, 
heartless, wretched world. To know that we have only one mas- 
ter, but one to please and one to serve ; to live with that idea 
in view all the while — one to please and one to glorify — is a 
most blessed thing. He is not a hard master. He knows we 
are liable to mistakes, and He is ready and willing to forgive. 
If Christ is such a glorious Master, should we not be willing to 
sacrifice ourselves to Him and give up all and follow him, and 
turn our back upon this fleeting world and live for Him ? 
When our country was in danger, how men laid down their 
lives and gave up everything for their country. The moment 
Abraham Lincoln called for six hundred thousand men, you 
could hear the tramp of their feet in every direction, and the 
song went up from all quarters, " We are Coming, Father Abra- 
ham, six hundred thousand strong." All Mr. Lincoln had to do 
was to call, and the men came pouring in, Christ is calling for 
laborers. There are nations perishing for the want of the Gos- 
pel tidings. We are a long time getting them into the world. 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 603 

America has men enough and money enough to do it all, to send 
the Gospel around this globe. It is high time that this gospel 
was proclaimed in every town and village and hamlet through- 
out the whole world. It would be very easy if God's disciples 
would work together for it. From another sermon we take 

Decision. 

Let us look at Barabbas. It seems to me that there is no 
case in the whole Bible where the great doctrine of substitution 
is brought out better than in this one. There was a man con- 
demned in one of our western cities. What troubled him 
the most was, that the night he was to be executed, they were 
making the gallows in the prison. He heard them sawing 
the planks and driving the nails ; and as he heard he trembled 
from head to foot. This cross might have been made in the 
prison where Barabbas was confined, and these two thieves 
to be crucified with Christ might have been associated with 
Barabbas, and he might have been the ring-leader in crime. 
Barabbas knows he has to die, that there is no hope ; he has 
perhaps heard them making the crosses, one for him, and 
others for each of his two companions. At last the executioner 
comes. He hears the footfall in the hall, and he takes one man 
from his cell, and then another, and there is poor Barabbas 
trembling from head to foot. He thinks, " In a few moments I 
will be led to execution, and will be nailed to the cross, to die its 
terrible death ; " and while Barabbas trembles, the executioner 
comes and unlocks the door, and throws it open, and says : 
"Barabbas, you are free!" "What! free? Am I free?" 
" Yes, you are free." " What do you mean ? How came this ? 
Who set me free ? " "Pilate asked the people which should be 
free, yourself or Jesus of Nazareth, and the multitude have 
chosen you to be released, and Christ is to be put to death in 
your stead." What joy, what good news it must have been for 
that poor Barabbas ! And think, my fiiends, what guilt there 
was in that multitude making the choice of Barabbas ! I never 
saw any one in my life but thought it was one of the most cruel 
cases in this world. 



604 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

But did you ever stop to think what you are doing that is 
worse ? The man that chooses this world has chosen much 
worse than the Jews did. I would rather choose Barabbas than 
the god of this world. If you reject Jesus Christ, bear in mind 
that Satan is your god ; he leads you on with an unseen hand. 
He is your tempter, and is trying to lure you away from the 
world of light, to leave you in the dark caverns of eternal death 
and ruin. Thanks be to God there is hope to-day ; this very 
hour you can choose Him and serve Him. O, make your choice 
to-day. It is not between Jesus and Barabbas now; it is be- 
tween the Lord of Glory, the Prince of Peace, or the Devil of 
Hell. Every one has to decide, whether he wants to decide or 
not. Some people say, " I do not propose to decide this ques- 
tion at once. I am going to be neutral." No man can have 
Christ presented to him but he has to decide. You will either 
decide to reject or to receive Him. There is but one alternative ; 
if you reject Him you receive the devil. If we would stop put- 
ting this question over from day to day unanswered, if that little 
girl sitting by her mother would just say what she would do, 
how happy we should all be. There are some here this after- 
noon who have come, perhaps, to scoff and laugh. Dear friends, 
are you going to scoff on ? Are you going to die in your sins 
and be lost? When Jesus comes this afternoon and knocks on 
the door of your heart and wants you to become a Christian, are 
you going to reject Him ? Some say, " Well I can't give up the 
world." Had you rather have the world than have Christ? 
Had you rather have the god of pleasure than the God of heaven ? 
There is no way to stand neutral on this question. You must 
have one or the other ; you must have the god of earth or the 
God of Heaven. I pity the man or woman who is living for 
this world. You will not only be disappointed now, but you 
will be disappointed all through this life. The god of pleasure 
can never lift you up and make your heart to rejoice. Solomon 
looked abroad over this world for that which would satisfy the 
yearnings of his soul. He picked up worldly pleasure, looked 
at it, and then laid it away and said, " Vanity, vanity, all is van- 
ity ! " There are many who live for wealth and social position. 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 60$ 

What is it after you have got it ? It is like the boy running 
after a bubble ; when you get it it is gone. Oh, that this text 
would sink deep in the hearts of all here, that they might be 
made to realize their need of Christ ! Don't go out of this hall 
and say you will forget this text. Just let it sink into your heart 
and say, " What shall I do with Jesus ? " Won't you just stop a 
moment and think ? What shall I do with Him ? One of two 
things you must do ; you must either receive Him or reject Him. 
You receive Him here and He will receive you there. O, may 
every soul make up its mind where it will spend eternity ! 
Whether it will be found in the world of light or in the dark 
caverns of eternal woe. 

Don't delay the answer to this great question, " What shall I 
do with Christ ? " Accept Him now. When you are sick it is 
no time to receive Jesus. When death comes he often steals in 
unawares. Some men don't know that death is coming until 
they are hurried away into the other world without any prepara- 
tion. How much do you think some lost one would give if he 
had his life over again ? How much do you think Agrippa 
would give to be in Paul's place now? How much do you think 
those men who took part in the services and heard Christ preach 
to them would give if they had the opportunity you have here 
this afternoon ? Oh, if I could go to the borders of the lost world, 
and call up one soul, and bring him on this platform, and let him 
tell the awful horror and woe of being separated from Christ, how 
terrible it would be. Why, I believe that Caiaphas would be 
very glad to exchange places with John ; but it is too late now. 
All the opportunities are gone. They risked all for wealth and 
station. And what was the wealth and the position these men 
held ? It was only for a few months or years, and then God 
changed their countenances and sent them away. The rich 
man would have been glad to exchange places with Lazarus, who 
sat with the dogs at his door. What must have been his misery 
when he saw from his terrible position Lazarus among the saved. 
It is a good deal better to be a poor beggar with Christ in your 
heart than to have the applause of this world and die without 
hope. 



606 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

The time has come now for me to close these Sunday after- 
noon meetings. It is the last time probably that I shall ever 
speak to this congregation. I may never see many of you again. 
It is probably the last time we shall meet until we meet at the 
judgment bar of God. Shall we meet there ? Oh, my friends, 
come into the fold of Christ to-day. If you receive Him it will be 
well ; if you reject Him and are lost it will be terrible. Won't 
you just say that you will receive Christ to-day ? Won't you say 
you will not longer reject Him? 

Mr. Moody's One Purpose. 

Don't go and get discouraged when you get to work because 
you don't find everything prosperous as you expected. You 
cannot tell what will prosper. What you think is prosperity 
may turn out to be the worst thing you could have done, and 
the thing you have least hope of may turn out to be your great- 
est success. 

An old woman who was seventy-five years old had a Sabbath- 
school two miles away among the mountains. One Sunday 
there came a terrible storm of rain, and she thought at first she 
would not go that day, but then she thought, " what if some one 
should go and not find me there?" Then she put on her 
waterproof, and umbrella, and overshoes, and away she went 
through the storm, two miles away, to the Sabbath-school in the 
mountains. When she got there she found one solitary young 
man, and taught him the best she knew how all the afternoon. 
She never saw him again, and I don't know but the old woman 
thought her Sabbath had been a failure. That week the young 
man enlisted in the army, and in a year or two after the old 
woman got a letter from the soldier thanking her for going 
through the storm that Sunday. This young man thought that 
stormy day he would just go and see if the old woman was in 
earnest, and if she cared enough about our souls to go through 
the rain. He found she came and taught him as carefully as if 
she was teaching the whole school, and God made that the oc- 
casion of winning that young man to Christ. When he lay 
dying in a hospital he sent the message to the old woman that 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 6oJ 

he would meet her in heaven. Was it not a glorious thing that 
she did not get discouraged because she had but one school and 
scholar? Be willing to work with one. Bear in mind the 
words, " This one thing I do." I live for souls and for eternity. 
I want to win some soul to Christ. If you want this and work 
for it, eternity alone can tell the result. May God give us a 
passion for souls. 

Christ our Model. 

Christ is the Light of the World. He says, " If any man 
follow me, he shall not walk in darkness; he shall have the light 
of life." 

When I was a little boy I used to try and catch my own 
shadow. I don't know whether any of you have ever been so 
foolish as that or not. I could not see why the shadow al- 
ways kept ahead of me. Once I happened to be racing with 
my face to the sun and I looked over my head and saw my shadow 
coming back of me, and it kept behind me all the way. It is 
the same with the Sun of Righteousness. Peace and joy will go 
with you while you go with your face toward Him. 

Once I was trying to walk across the field after a fresh fall 
of snow. I would try and see how straight a line I could make 
with my footprints in the snow. When I looked around to see 
how straight I was going I always walked crooked ; but if I 
kept my eye on the mark ahead of me, and did not take it off, 
I could walk straight enough. So if Christians only kept their 
eyes on the mark — on Christ Jesus, and followed in his foot- 
steps, not turning around to see what kind of a path they made, 
they would walk straighter. He is our model. If, instead of 
asking, Why can't I do this and that ? Why can't I dance ? 
Why can't I go to the theatre ? Why can't I read The New York 
Ledger 1 I don't see why I cannot doit! Can you ? Then 
put it in this way, What is the use of it ? " Will it make me a 
better Christian ? " If it won't, then I won't do them. Instead 
of asking, What is the use ? and Why can't I ? ask if it will be 
for the honor and glory of Jesus, and if it won't, say, I won't 
do it. 



608 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

I do not see that we can have any better example than Christ 
himself. Just consult the Word of God and see what Christ 
would do. You will find that God never makes a man do wrong. 
Who ever heard of a man backsliding who walked with God ? 
God never backslides. If we are going to keep company with 
God we have got to walk. God does not stand still and does 
not run. You must grow in grace or else in worldliness. Enoch 
walked with God. He found the right way back there in that 
dim age. He was the most unpopular man in that time. If 
they had had him up for office, I don't think he would have got 
to be even so much as constable. God and he agreed very well, 
so that at last God said to him, " Come up here and walk with 
Me." Old Dr. Bonner said, "Enoch started on a very long 
walk one day — he has not got back yet." It is sweet to walk 
with God. We walk the wilderness to-day and the promised 
land to-morrow. Oh, that we all could say, " Father, take my 
hand," and put our hands in His to-day. There is a difference 
between our having hold of God and His having hold of us. If 
God has hold of me I cannot fall, can I ? If the great God 
who created heaven and earth hold us by the hand what have 
we to fear ? When my little girl was about three or four years 
old her mother got her a new muff, and then she wanted to go 
right out and take a walk with that muff. She teased me to go 
out walking with her. I told her I was tired, but after a while 
I got up and went with her. I said, " Emma you had better 
let me take hold of your hand." She said, " No, I want to put 
my hands in my muff like mamma does." She was as proud as 
a peacock with the muff, and went strutting down the street. 
So a great many people start out with the idea that they are 
saved and can get along without the Word of God, but they 
find they need to have God hold them all the time. My little 
girl went along alone for a minute, and by and by down she 
went. When she got up she said, " Papa, I w r ish you would 
let me take hold of your little finger ; " but I said, " If you do, 
when your feet go from under you, you will let go and go down." 
She insisted on having my little finger, so I gave it to her. 
Pretty soon her little feet slipped from under her, and down she 






THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 609 

went again. Then when she got up she said, " Papa, I wish 
you would take my hand." So I took her little hand, and held 
it by the wrist. Her feet went out from under her a number of 
times after that, but she did not fall because I held her. Oh, 
my friends, let us learn the lesson to-day of separation from the 
world. Enoch walked with God and God saved him. Abraham 
walked with God and God became his friend. Let us to-day 
put our hands in His as a friend, take hold and walk with Him. 

David's Cunning. 

But now the enemy comes back again stronger than ever, 
thousands upon thousands, a great multitude, and the hour of 
battle comes on. There on that hill are the armies of the Phil- 
istines, and here on this are the thousands of Saul ; and at last 
a giant warrior comes out from the camp of the Philistines and 
cries to Saul's army, "Just select one man to come out and fight 
me, and if he will overcome me we will all be your servants," 
and he defies them day after day, and there is not a man in all 
that camp that dare meet the giant of Gath. They were all 
frightened, and the king trembled from head to foot. As he 
came out in the morning, I think I can see them looking so 
startled, and saying, "Look! There he comes again." So he 
defies them again and again — " Show me a man that will dare 
to meet me." And so every morning, day after day, day after 
day, for forty days, he came out two or three times a day, and 
each army was afraid of the other, not daring to open fire. 
Just then, up came a young stripling. (Some one has said he 
was the first delegate to the Christian Commission.) He had 
been sent up from the country by his mother, to see how his 
brothers were getting on in the king's encampment. I sup- 
pose the mother made up some nice things for them to eat, 
some nice cakes, perhaps, and jelly. I can see him coming up ; 
perhaps there was a servant along, and up they came on their 
asses. Just as they came into camp, out came the giant again, 
and defied them. The young man looks at him, and then asks 
"What, what does that man say? Hark!" He hears the 
giant defy Israel, God's anointed, God's own people. His blood 
26* 



6lO MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

begins to tingle in his veins. He goes into camp and says to 
his brothers, " What does that mean ? Why do not some of you 
go out to meet him?" "Why," they said, "you don't know 
much about fighting, or you would not talk of such a thing in 
that way." Said he, " I will go myself, then." " It's a nice 
thing for you to say you'll go. Why, one look at him will make 
you run faster than you ever ran in your life." They began to 
make sport of him, and mock him. He said, " If there is no 
one else to go, I will go." But they only mocked him. At last 
some one said to the king, " There is some one in camp who 
offers to go and meet the giant of Gath." And the king said, 
"Go bring him." And when the king saw David, his heart 
sunk within him at once. What could he do ? He had not 
been used to using a sword. He did not know anything about 
it. The king said to him, " You are not able." He looked at 
David. He saw that he knew nothing of the use of weapons in 
battle. Said David, " I think I would like to meet him. A lion 
and a bear got into my father's fold one night, and I killed them 
both • and I believe that God will be able to deliver me from 
the giant as he did from the lion and the bear." Some one has 
said there were thousands of men in that camp who knew that 
God could use them, but David was the only one there who be- 
lieved that God would use him. Said David, "Now I will go." 
So they took him and began to dress him for the fight. They 
began to put armor upon him, and a shield, and a helmet. But 
in a few minutes it began to act upon him. He began to feel 
uncomfortable in it, and to twist himself, and make wry faces, 
and at last he said, " I cannot fight in this armor." ~ He was 
like a little boy in his grandfather's overcoat. It did not fit him 
at all. He said, " I have not proved it. I have proved the 
God of Israel. I have not proved this armor." It was like the 
way of the world. A great many are anxious to work in Saul's 
armor. If he had gone out in this armor and conquered, they 
would have said it was Saul's armor that did it. Then he said, 
"Let me take my sling. I am used to that." "What ! " they 
exclaimed, " a sling to meet the giant of Gath ? Why, he has 
a helmet, and a sword, and a shield, and an armor-bearer ! !' 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 6ll 

But David said, "Well, I will only take my sling." I can 
imagine how they made all manner of sport of him. But they 
were driven to extremes, and must have some one, and so they 
let him go. Even his brothers must have thought he would 
surely be brought back dead. 

So he went to the brook and he picked up five smooth stones 
out of the brook. O, my friends, God uses the weak thing, God 
uses the little thing ! You and I would have wanted some good 
big rocks to have slung at him ; but David got a few little 
smooth stones, and went to meet his enemy. The giant came 
out full of indignation and wrath, saying : " Am I to take the 
consent of this man to meet me ? " David said to him, " You 
come with a helmet and a shield and an armor-bearer. I come 
in the name of the God of Israel." So if we come in the name 
of God, will all giants fall. So he puts one hand behind him 
and raises the other right up and throws his sling, and the gi- 
ant falls dead ; and then he rushed right up to him and took 
his sword from him, and cut off his head, and with the sword 
and the giant's head in his hand, went forward toward the king. 
Then Saul called to his cheering army, " Make haste, rush 
upon them! " And it was not long before the whole camp of 
the Philistines were falling before their enemy. 

So God used the man who was willing to be used. He used 
the man that had faith to believe that God would use him. 

Dr. William Taylor read a part of the 14th chapter of Mat- 
thew : " And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him, 
saying, ' This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send 
the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and buy 
themselves victuals.' But Jesus said unto them, 'They need 
not depart ; give ye them to eat ? ' " In the course of his short 
address he said : " It is never needful to depart from Christ. 
The disciples misunderstood the meaning and purpose of the 
Master when they asked Him to send the multitude away. On 
the last day, men may be commanded to depart from the Lord, 
but never until then. What compassion He had upon them! 
How many there were who needed Him, and how like the Mas- 
ter all this is ! So it is here to-day ; God will not send you 



6l2 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

away fasting. He would not even have the heart of a man if 
He did not long to feed the people and heal their sufferings and 
quiet their anxieties. A little boy perhaps had these loaves 
and fishes in his satchel, and Andrew was put to the blush 
when he said, ' What are these among so many ? ' He forgot 
to whom he gave them. We must not forget for whom we do 
what little we can do. Robert Burns said, i Who does the ut- 
most he can, does more.' I remember an old Covenanter's story 
I used to hear. A band of Covenanters were hidden in a cave, 
when a man came to them and passed himself off as one of 
them. But when he began to eat without first saying grace they 
knew he was a spy, and had only time to fly before the dragoons 
were upon them. A little chink lets in great light. How can 
a man be a true Christian and forget to give thanks ? Prayers 
are transmuted into blessings, and come down upon* us." 

Mr. Moody then said : " I remember when I was in London 
hearing a clergyman say, * How astonished Philip must have 
been when Jesus gave him a small loaf to divide among the 
multitude, not a grain of meal for each one ! ' He must have 
broken off a very small piece for the first man, then, finding he 
had as much left, more for the second, a little more for the 
third. But when he found the loaf did not after all grow any 
smaller, he would just break off half of it for each one. Faith 
grows! If we. have faith, and will follow divine guidance, we 
can all do much for Christ and our fellow-men. A man may 
say he has no talents, he can do nothing ; but I tell you do what 
you can ; your faith will grow. Use what light you have. If 
you cannot be a lighthouse, be a tallow candle. People used to 
have to carry their candles with them, but when a lot of them 
got together it was bright enough. If each one would bring a 
little light and let it shine, there would be plenty of light." 

The Farewell Meetings. 

These occurred on Wednesday, the 19th of April, and called 

out vast multitudes. Indeed, one of the ablest secular journals, 

among other excellent things, says : " Into the Hippodrome he 

has gathered day by day the largest audiences ever gathered in 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 6l$ 

this city. Lawyers, bankers, merchants, some of whom scarcely 
ever enter a church, are just as much a part of his congregations 
as are the second-rate and third-rate boarding-house people, 
mentioned so conspicuously in a recent analysis by a morning 
journal. All classes and conditions of men have been repre- 
sented in these great revival meetings. 

" Mr. Moody is a man of so driving a^ persistence and so im- 
maculate a consistency, that it is scarcely more possible that he 
should greatly change himself than that — to use a biblical figure 
— a leopard should change his spots. Indeed there is no pros- 
pect whatever that he will ever conform either himself or his 
style to the demands of propriety or to the requirements of 
grammatical rules. Let us frankly confess then, as we bid him 
good-by, that we are heartily glad there is none. He is what he 
is because he is what he is. We would not change him. Make 
him the best read preacher in the world and he would instantly 
lose half his power. Set him to imitating the elegant abstrac- 
tions of Burnet and Barron, of Tillotson and Stillingfleet, and 
his style would become not only stilted but tame. Put him 
through a course of training in systematic theology, and you 
fasten big logs of fuel to the driving wheels of his engine. Give 
him a smattering of logic, and forthwith undue assumptions, 
beggings of the question, ignoratio elenchi, and ambiguous mid- 
dles step forth and solicit the derision of his school-bred hear- 
ers. Even lend him an English grammar, and we should never 
again be charmed by his naive provincial colloquialisms. He 
is just right for his work as he is — original, dashing, careless. 
He has not, it is true, one word of solace or of light for the 
honest cultured doubter ; but, on the other hand, the doubter 
knows too much to expect, either of him or of any human be- 
ing, a solution of eternal mysteries. Should Mr. Moody address 
himself to lifting the clouds from the skeptic's soul, the greater 
part of his audience would learn atheistic arguments which 
would stop longer in their memories than would Mr. Moody's 
attempted refutation of them, and the clouds themselves would 
hang as thick and black as ever. The masses of men are not 
all philosophic disputants. They believe pretty much what they 



6 14 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

are taught to believe. And these masses Mr. Moody reaches 
the more surely and widely because he is one of them himself, 
and because he has not been made elegant and faultless by the 
trimming and restraining processes of a liberal education. His 
very solecisms sound sweetly in their ears. His familiarity and 
conversational manner please them. They like his directness 
and his earnestness. He is driving a bargain with them, and 
he "talks sense." He is trying to comfort them, when "from 
the world's bitter wind they are seeking shelter," and he fills 
their souls with the assurance of a Father's love. There they 
sit and listen — the poor, the distressed, the afflicted, the sorrow- 
ful — taking " their fill of deep and liquid rest, forgetful of all 
ill." Life becomes pleasanter to them. The future assumes a 
hopeful aspect. Mr. Moody touches more chords than their pas- 
tor on Sunday does. He comes nearer home. He nourishes 
them more. His society is more refreshing. They go away 
from the Hippodrome brightened and strengthened. They like 
Mr. Moody ; and so does almost everybody. Hence we would 
not upon any account have him change himself. We enjoy his 
rude simplicity and his pell-mell earnestness, his downright in- 
dividuality, and his uncalculating naturalness. We think deli- 
cious his " had ought to have done," and his ' ' they come and 
said ; " his " you was there," and his " Pilate, he was a heathen ; " 
his " meracles " and his "heavun ; " his " Ja-eye-rus's " daugh- 
ter, and his " Ca-eye-phas " the high priest. We come to de- 
sire his frequent " thank Gods," his oft-recurring " but thens ; " 
his interlocutory ejaculations, and his boxing gesticulations. 
We love to listen to the stories of his wonderful " little boy," 
and of his marvellously sharp-witted negroes. We admire his 
child-like faith, and his unquestioning trust. We are delighted 
with his quaintness which makes men smile, and his pathos 
which makes men cry. And we shall not soon forget his incom- 
parable frankness, his broad undenominationalism, his sledge- 
hammer gestures, his profuse diction, which stops neither for 
colons nor for commas ; his trueness, which never becomes 
conventional ; his naturalness, which never whines ; his abhor- 
rence of Phariseeism and of ecclesiastical Machiavelism, his 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 615 

mastery of his subject, his glorious self-confidence, his blameless 
life, and his unswerving fealty to his conscience and to his work." 

A conservative and representative religious paper says : His 
preaching, unlike that of most of the evangelists we have heard, 
covers the whole field of doctrinal truth. Never were the fun- 
damental truths of the inspiration of the Scriptures, the divinity 
of Christ, regeneration by the Spirit, the vicariousness of the 
Saviour's death, and an endless retribution, more clearly and 
earnestly set forth than they have been the past ten weeks in 
the Hippodrome. Nothing short of being created anew in 
Christ Jesus, and being made complete in his righteousness, has 
been the aim of the preaching there heard. 

Of Mr. Sankey also it remarks : The singing, under the ad- 
mirable lead of Mr. Sankey, undoubtedly contributed much to 
the inspiration which animated the services, and helped to draw 
the vast crowds which felt their influence. Every hymn was a 
gospel message, and the tunes seemed not only to have been 
made on purpose for the hymns, but the expression given to their 
spirit, and the articulation given to their words, were scarcely 
less than perfect. No singing was done in Choctaw. Every 
word was as audible as though it had been read in plain English. 

Dr. Nathan Bishop, chairman of the executive Committee that 
provided for the Hippodrome services, is reported to have stated 
that : To this, as to every great work, there was a prior history 
of careful preparation. Long before Mr. Moody came to the city 
a few leading laymen held meetings of prayer for wisdom and 
guidance, and when the way was opened for the work to be in- 
troduced a guaranty fund of $25,000 was pledged, and has since 
been paid. The hearts of the people were ripe for the move- 
ment, and the results show that those churches most active in 
co-operation have shared most liberally in the fruits. Five thou- 
sand converts have been reported, of whom about 2,200 have 
already found church homes, and the remainder are under the 
tutelage of the committees of workers, and will soon decide 
what churches they will join. About $45,000 has been expended, 
and the Committee think never more wisely and with greater 
promise of good to the world. Thurlow Weed has said that Mr. 



6l6 MOODY AND SANKEY IN AMERICA. 

Moody is the most successful in making his ideas stick in the 
heart of the people, of any man he has ever heard. So well are 
the Committee satisfied with the results, that they will be ready 
to renew their subscriptions when the time comes. 

Add to this the vast sums contributed during the last days 
of the meeting for the Y. M. C. A., and the continuance of simi- 
lar labors, and we see the amazing popularity and power of 
the evangelists. 

Mr. Sankey said : I feel in my heart to-night a sad minor 
note sounding there, one of sadness and regret that the meet- 
ings that have been so blessed are so soon, so far as we are 
concerned, to pass away. This is a sad thought and note in 
the song of my heart to-night ; yet still there is a louder note, 
one of a joyful tone, telling me that we shall meet again. I 
desire to say, before giving way to others, that in all of our 
work, both in this and other countries, we have never had 
more hearty, warm and efficient help than we have had in New 
York in all the departments of this work. My heart goes out 
this night to each worker here: it goes out to you all. We 
feel that each one, in whatever secluded place, has done his 
duty, and my heart goes out to each of you with a hearty "God 
bless you." I hope we shall not look back on the work here 
with regret. I hope we shall not hear that it has passed away 
or that the young converts have fallen away. I can say, and 
I trust not boastfully, from what we have heard from England, 
that the young converts there are standing well, and shall it be 
otherwise in our own country ? I trow not. I believe it will 
go on from day to day, and scatter off into these various 
churches and Sunday-schools and Young Men's Christian As- 
sociations until tens of thousands are raised up to work for God. 

Mr. Moody has had nothing but cheerful, and intelligent 
cooperation, and he said : 

I want to speak of one thing that has cheered me since com- 
ing here, beyond measure, and that is the spirit of unity. We 
have not heard a word about denomination since I have been 
here. Thanks be to God, we are bound up in one bundle, and 
the moment we understand each other a little better, we shall 



THE WORK OF GRACE IN NEW YORK. 617 

be able to do greater work, and the hosts of hell will not pre- 
vail against us. 

Every young convert should go into the Church and go to 
work. I don't care what the denomination is, if the minister 
only preaches the Gospel. Some of the converts have asked 
me about going to theatres and balls, etc. I don't carry your 
consciences. I know that I couldn't do those things. Let 
Christ be your example. Of all things, don't touch strong 
drink. That has been the ruin of many young converts. Give 
up your right hand rather than touch it. You are called to be 
the sons and daughters of God. Don't disgrace the name. We 
want to get higher, nearer to God. 

I don't like these farewell meetings. I don't like to say 
good-bye. But I can say, as I once heard Lucius Hart say, 
"I'll bid you all good-night and I'll meet you in the morning." 
May God bless you all ! 

Mr. Moody spoke of the kindly feeling that had existed 
between the ministers and others engaged in the meetings, and 
Mr. Sankey sang a farewell hymn to the tune of " Home Sweet 
Home." 

Immediately upon the close of this farewell exercise, the 
Hippodrome began to be transformed into a place of amuse- 
ment. The evangelists sought a few days' retirement, one in 
Florida, where his wife and sick child had gone, the other at his 
home in Pennsylvania. But scarcely had the echoes of their 
voices ceased in New York, before the sturdy preacher makes 
a tour of the South, beginning at Augusta, Ga., and sweeping 
northward, where he and Mr. Sankey join once more in a grand 
campaign in the city of St. Louis. There the eyes and hearts 
of many will be turned, while uncounted prayers will ascend to 
God for rich blessings still to follow the heaven- directed labors 
of the evangelists. 



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